Tender and moist homemade vanilla almond cupcakes topped with creamy white chocolate frosting. A truly elegant treat for the most special day.
Today is our wedding day. The day my father will walk me down the aisle towards the new life ahead of me. Bridesmaids dressed in coral, groomsmen donning tuxes, proud parents, elated friends, kick-ass band, talented photographer, videographer, photo booth, filet, sesame-crusted salmon, champagne glasses, CHEERS. I have my something old, something borrowed, and my something blue.
But before our ceremony this afternoon (actually 2 days from now because I’m writing this ahead of time, but let’s pretend), let me share a very special recipe with you. I did not bake for our wedding day, but last weekend, I made the cupcakes you see today. We wanted to celebrate the memorable week ahead of us!
I took my very vanilla cupcake recipe, swapped out some vanilla for almond flavoring, whipped the egg whites and topped the cupcakes with my white chocolate buttercream frosting. The white chocolate frosting is made from pure white chocolate. It’s very rich and wonderfully thick, so it holds beautiful shape when piped.
Pure white chocolate packed inside each beautiful swirl.
These white wedding cupcakes are drop to your knees, praise the heavens above, OM-freaking-G fantastic. By far one of the best cupcakes I’ve ever made. Plus, they look exceptionally fancy. And there’s sprinkles. And gold sprinkle stars…!
Totally wedding-worthy.
Give them a try for the next bridal shower or any upcoming wedding. There is no way these divine cupcakes will NOT impress brides, grooms, bridal parties, and guests. ♥ And if you find yourself in charge of a wedding dessert table, check out my homemade wedding cake recipe as well!
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White Wedding Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 12 cupcakes
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Tender and moist homemade vanilla almond cupcakes topped with creamy white chocolate frosting. A truly elegant treat for the most special day.
Ingredients
Vanilla Almond Cupcakes
- 1 and 2/3 cups (197g) sifted all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (60g) yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature*
- 3/4 cup (180ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
- 2 egg whites, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
White Chocolate Frosting
- 6 ounces (170g) white chocolate, coarsely chopped*
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (240g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream or half-and-half*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- optional: sprinkles, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Make the cupcakes: In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Whisk in the sugar; the mixture will be gritty. Whisk in yogurt, milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract until combined. Slowly mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no lumps remain. Batter will be thick. Do not over-mix. Set aside.
- Using a whisk, a handheld mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until until thick and foamy, about 3 minutes. See photo at the bottom of my post for yellow cupcakes with milk chocolate frosting for a visual of the egg whites. With a rubber spatula, fold the whipped egg whites into the cupcake batter. The batter will be smooth, velvety, and slightly thick. Divide batter among 12 cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- While the cupcakes cool, melt the white chocolate for the frosting: Place chopped white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl (I usually use a glass liquid measuring cup), and microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after every 20 seconds until completely smooth. Set it aside to cool at room temperature for 20 minutes. (Be sure the melted white chocolate has cooled for 20 minutes, so it’s still melted but not scorching hot, which would melt the butter.)
- Make the frosting: In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for 1 minute. Switch the mixer to low speed and slowly add the confectioners’ sugar. Stir the cooled white chocolate so that it is smooth, and then add it to the butter/sugar mixture. Switch the mixer to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes until combined and creamy. Add the cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat for 1 minute until combined. Taste. Add 1 more Tablespoon of heavy cream/milk if needed to thin out, if desired. Add another pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes. I used a Wilton 1M swirl piping tip to pipe the frosting.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. Frosting can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Decorate/assemble cupcakes immediately before serving. Leftover cupcakes keep well covered tightly at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 3 days. Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Rubber Spatula | Glass Liquid Measuring Cup | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1M
- Mini Cupcakes: For around 32 mini cupcakes, line mini cupcake pans with liners or spray with nonstick spray. Prepare cupcakes and frosting as directed. Bake mini cupcakes for 12–13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Milk: Buttermilk provides wonderful flavor and moisture, but you can use whole milk in a pinch. If needed, lower fat or nondairy milks work too, but the cupcakes won’t taste as moist or rich.
- White Chocolate: Do not use white chocolate morsels in this frosting. Use pure white chocolate, sold in bars, such as Ghirardelli, Lindt, or Baker’s brands.
- Heavy Cream: For the frosting, milk is ok to use instead of heavy cream. However, I strongly recommend heavy cream for the creamiest texture.
- Why is everything at room temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read here for more information.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes before you begin!
This recipe was such a hit! Very moist, fluffy & the icing was amazing . I would love to make this into a cake instead, would that be ok? Or should I follow a different recipe? Thank you Sally!
Hi Maria, this batter is the perfect amount for a 3 layer 6 inch cake, or here is our cake pan sizes and conversions guide for scaling to other sizes. We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
I loved this recipe so much! I had never worked with a recipe that called for whipped egg whites before and it seems to do so much for the texture of the batter!
Cupcakes were a hit! Made them with buttercream frosting. Everyone went crazy over them. I replaced almond extract with vanilla. 1 tablespoon of vanilla was yummy tasting. Cupcakes had a good texture and were dense. One of my favorites!
I was wondering if I could add sprinkles to the frosting for funfetti frosting? Love the taste of the white chocolate
Hi Amber, sure can!
My first successful bake.
Can the icing in this recipe be doubled for a whole two layer white cake (like the one Sally has)? Thank you very much!
Yes, this recipe can be doubled!
Sally- THANK YOU for all of your wonderful recipes! I am going on a girls’ trip to celebrate our collective 40th birthday, and want to bring these as our celebratory treat. However, I would like more than 12 cupcakes. Can I simply double the recipe, or should I alter the ratios? Thanks!
Hi Jen, rather that doubling, it’s best to make two separate batches to prevent over mixing. Hope they’re a hit on your girls’ trip!
These were some of the best cupcakes I’ve ever had; can’t wait to make them again, just wondering what other frostings would work for this besides white chocolate?
Hi Rawan! Champagne frosting would be wonderful on these cupcakes like we did with these wedding cupcakes. Vanilla buttercream would be delicious as well, you can find all our frosting recipes here for more ideas!
I made this recipe as a 3-layer, 6 inch cake and it turned out wonderfully. I am gluten free, so I used gluten free all purpose flour and it still turned out great! However, if making the recipe into a cake, I would bake for around 16 minutes and check to see if it is done in order to not over cook it. Two of my layers turned out slightly over cooked. Also, I like almond flavoring, but not a lot of it. So, if I were to make this recipe again, I would use less than the recommended amount of almond extract. I assembled my cake using Sally’s raspberry frosting from the “Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes” recipe in between the layers, then used her cream cheese frosting on the rest of the cake. Overall, it turned out beautifully and the flavors worked very nicely together.
Hi! Would I be ruining anything in terms of flavor or texture if I were to add a gel coloring to either the cupcake batter or the frosting? Hoping to play along with a color theme at a party somehow, but if it’s likely to affect the experience of eating them, I’ll just find a fun topper instead. (I’m a novice at straying from recipes exactly as they are written AND using food coloring.)
Hi Lori! Gel food coloring should be fine in either the cupcakes or the frosting. Let us know how they go!
These were excellent! Did them as mini cupcakes, making some of the better red, some blue, and some left alone for the patriotic theme. Did the same with the frsoting. Everything came out perfectly. Was just such a nice surprise when people were expecting plain vanilla but got a fancy bite with the almond and the white chocolate flavors. Thanks for the great recipes! This one’s going to be a staple.
Made these and loved them .. Can I double this recipe for a 13/9 cake ?
Hi Sally! Wow! These are great, tasty cupcakes!! So fluffy and the almond extract gave them a perfect scent making them so decadent. Thank you so much! However, I’m not sure if it was a typo or not, but were the yolks intended to be omitted in the recipe? I decided to add them in the wet mix part, either way they were delicious! So I’m curious if I should have used them or not? Thanks again!
Hi Caroline! The egg whites only is correct 🙂 Not only will using only egg whites give us a pristine white cake, it will ensure that the crumb is not weighed down by the fat in egg yolks. We do the same in our Favorite White Cake!
One of the most delicious cupcakes I’ve ever had, the almond in it is divine. Would really love to know how to make it as a cake!
I did exactly as the recipe said, with all the correct ingredients for the vanilla almond cupcakes and the cake itself tasted eggy and the icing kept dripping off of the cake even after cooling them down. Super disappointed 🙁
I love this recipe and have made it often for different events and parties. Thank you!
My little granddaughter is a type 1 diabetic and has celiacs. I’m trying to make these today for a birthday celebration using a gluten-free cup for cup all-purpose flour. I’m praying that we get good results. I was wondering if you have ever looked at the nutritional values of these cupcakes and might know how many carbs are in 1 cupcake. Her insulin after each meal is measured by how many carbs she takes in. I’m sending this on the day of our party so I don’t expect an answer but it would be good info for next time. Fingers crossed these will taste as good as the original ones do. Having to use this gluten-free flour scares me a bit. Baking has surely changed for us. But we are learning. Thank you
Hi Sally,
I have to make a bunch of desserts for my cousin’s baby shower. I was planning on using this cupcake recipe to make my cupcakes. Would this recipe also work for a cake? Thank you!!
Hi Katie, These cupcakes (or any cupcake batter that produces about 12-15 cupcakes) is the perfect amount for a three layer 6 inch cake. You can follow the directions in the post 6 Inch Cakes.
I was wondering what size cupcake baking cups to use. There is a standard size and a larger size sold at my stores. Thanks!
Hi Debbie, This recipe is written for standard size cupcakes. Enjoy!
Thank you. These turned out perfect. Baking is a joy again.
Hi Sally! I LOVE your blog and your recipes have continued to inspire me to pursue baking as a hobby. Thank you so much.
I made these cupcakes and they tasted great. However, they were pretty dense when cooled and chewy instead of airy and light like yours look. Do you know what I could have done wrong? I’m thinking from what I read that maybe I overmixed the ingredients and activated the gluten. Thank you!
Hi Mia, Thank you for the kind words! For your cupcakes you can use my 10 Tips for Baking the BEST Cupcakes to help troubleshoot. I hope it’s helpful!
Do you have an almond frosting?
Hi Katie, use my vanilla buttercream and replace half of the vanilla extract with almond extract.
Hi,
I love this recipe for cupcakes and I have made it into a cake before but it was small. I see you recommend using the favorite white cake for cake but I think this tastes better. Do you have any tips on how to make this into an 8″cake or what your thoughts are on that?
Hi Jen, This cupcake recipe works perfectly as a 6 inch cake. For an 8 inch cake you can try scaling the batter up.
Hi Sally,
I absolutely LOVE this recipe, it is my go to whenever I make cupcakes and everybody loves them! I am wanting to make Baileys (liqueur) cupcakes, do you think I can replace some of the milk with Baileys?
Hi Cara! I haven’t tried that substitution, but it’s worth a try. Let me know how they turn out!
Hi Sally! I’m just wondering why this recipe calls for melted butter but some of your other cupcake recipes (strawberry cupcakes) call for room temperature butter. Also is there a reason this recipe doesn’t use cake flour? Thanks in advance, I’m excited to make these!
Hi Micah! Simply different recipes. This is an older cupcake recipe where I didn’t really begin to use a ton of cake flour. You can certainly make the substitute (it would be 1:1 in this recipe) if desired.
These cupcakes are amazing. The flavor and texture is wonderful. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi!
Can I do a 6 inch 3 layer cake with this recipe? I read that most of your cupcake recipes can be turned into 6 inch cake.
Yes you sure can, Kristen! Follow the baking directions from my post on 6 Inch Cakes. Enjoy!
This was fantastic! I’m an average baker and I made these for a friend’s engagement party and added a drop off red dye, dusted with edible glitter and pearls! I couldn’t be happier with the outcome! Next time I make them I wanted to incorporate some purée raspberries to cut down the sweetness a little bit!