Baked to golden perfection, these delightful charms of moist Valentine’s Day cupcakes are packed with love and joy. Offering a melt-in-your-mouth soft and tender crumb, the real surprise awaits inside, where a mini pink heart is nestled within, overloading each cupcake with cuteness! Topped with a swirl of smooth, velvety vanilla buttercream and fresh strawberries, these fluffy cupcakes offer a blend of refreshing and sweet vanilla flavours.
This cupcake recipe basically combines my previous sponge cake and classic vanilla cupcakes recipes, so they are easier to make than they look! Perfect for Valentine’s Day, or simply showing love to your loved ones, or a cute little treat for yourself, these moist and fluffy Valentine’s Day cupcakes are sure to warm hearts and make smiles bloom!
Table of contents
Why you’ll love these Valentine’s Day cupcakes
- Beautiful with a cute surprise element: The hidden heart adds an element of fun and surprise, making each bite exciting and enjoyable.
- Balance of textures and tastes: Combining with moist, fluffy, and spongy cake, smooth and silky buttercream, and fresh strawberries, these cupcakes offer a balance of textures and tastes in every bite!
- Customisable: You can customise the flavour of the cupcake, the heart, and buttercream, allowing for endless possibilities.
- Perfect for celebrations: Whether for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries, or just to spread love, what’s better than a homemade treat baked with love?
Ingredients for Valentine’s Day cupcakes
For the hearts (sponge cake batter)
- Cake flour: Using cake flour will give you a lighter and more delicate sponge. If you don’t have cake flour, you can substitute with plain flour plus some additional cornstarch to achieve a light and fluffy texture.
- Oil: This contributes to the tenderness of the crumb, yielding a light and soft texture.
- Milk: Adding milk to the cake batter prevents the baked cake from becoming dry and crumbly, producing a soft and moist crumb.
- Salt: This acts as a flavour enhancer.
- Eggs: Eggs are the most important ingredient in sponge cake recipe. The egg yolks add moisture and richness to the cake, while the egg whites (beaten) act as a leavening agent that allows the cake to rise to a fluffy texture.
- Sugar: Sugar will be used mainly for making the meringue (beaten egg whites) to stabilise it after beating.
- Vanilla extract: This is optional but it will enhance the cake’s flavour with a touch of vanilla.
- Red food colouring: Add in an amount to achieve your desired colour.
For the cupcakes
- Plain flour: Using plain or all-purpose flour for this recipe gives the perfect soft and fluffy texture.
- Baking soda: A leavening agent.
- Baking powder: A leavening agent. This recipe requires the combination of both baking soda and baking powder to create the perfect leavening effect to generate a light and fluffy texture.
- Salt: A flavour enhancer.
- Sugar: The main ingredient that gives the sweetness of cupcakes while making them soft and moist.
- Unsalted butter: Adds a rich buttery flavour and a tender texture to the cupcakes. Make sure it’s softened at room temperature.
- Eggs: Act as a binding agent that provides structure and stability within the batter.
- Milk: It provides moisture and tenderness to the texture, and creates a softer crumb in the cupcakes.
- Vanilla extract: This contributes to the rich vanilla flavour in the cupcakes.
For the buttercream
- Unsalted butter: The right softness to make a perfect buttercream frosting will be squeezable softness yet still holds its shape. More tips below.
- Icing sugar: This is a preferred choice when making buttercream as it’s finely milled, which helps create a smooth and creamy texture in the buttercream.
- Milk: This helps achieve a smooth and spreadable texture, and allows you to control the thickness of the frosting.
- Vanilla extract: This is optional but a touch of vanilla flavour in the frosting complements beautifully with the cupcakes!
How to make Valentine’s Day cupcakes
Part 1 – Prepare the sponge cake (the hearts)
- Preheat the oven to 160°C.
- Separate egg yolk and egg whites in two mixer bowls.
- Mix together egg yolks and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- Beat the egg whites until soft peaks (80% stiff), adding in sugar 3 separate times. See how to make a perfect meringue here.
- Add the egg yolk mixture to the meringue, continue whisking until just combined.
- Sift in cake flour and fold until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, add in oil, milk, and a small amount of batter. Mix well.
- Pour the mixture back to the batter, add in salt, and fold until smooth, frothy, and silky.
- Add a few drops of red food colouring and fold to mix well. Start with a small amount of food colouring and adjust the amount as you whip.
- Pour the batter into a 6-inch cake tin lined with parchment paper.
- Use a toothpick or a baking needle to swirl through the batter and tap the cake tin against the table several times to release excess air bubbles.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 160ºC for 40-45 minutes.
- Let cool after baking. Meanwhile, prepare the cupcake batter.
Part 2 – Prepare the cupcake batter
- Prepare the dry ingredients: mix together plain flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in one egg at a time.
- Sift in half of the flour mixture and fold to combine. Add in half of the milk then mix well.
- Repeat the above step to mix the remaining flour mixture and milk, add in vanilla extract, then mix to combine well.
- Fill each cupcake mould until half full.
Part 3 – Assemble
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
- Divide the sponge cake in half, then use heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut out mini hearts.
- Place each mini heart in the centre and press into the cupcake batter.
- Bake in the oven at 180ºC for 20-25 minutes.
- Let cool.
Part 4 – Prepare buttercream frosting
- In a mixer bowl, whip the softened butter for 5 minutes until smooth and silky.
- Sift in half the amount of icing sugar. Begin beating at low speed, then gradually increase to medium speed. Beat for 3-5 minutes until smooth, pale, and volumized.
- Sift in the remaining icing sugar. Again, begin beating at low speed and increase the speed gradually. Beat for another 3-5 minutes until smooth, velvety, and fluffy.
- Mix together milk and vanilla extract in a small bowl, then add in the mixture gradually. I added in 2 tbsp to start with.
- Beat for 3-4 minutes until smooth and silky that’s spreadable yet still holds its shape. It shouldn’t be floppy. If it’s too thick, add in another half tbsp of milk mixture, then beat until desired consistency.
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag, then pipe onto the cupcakes. Decorate with fresh strawberries on top, and enjoy!
Success tips for making Valentine’s Day cupcakes
Do not overmix.
When making the sponge cake and cupcake batter, be sure not to overmix the ingredients. Otherwise the cakes will become dense and tough instead of fluffy. Stop mixing just as the ingredients are incorporated to avoid overmixing.
Release air bubbles before baking.
To achieve a light and airy sponge cake with a uniform crumb, perform these steps:
- Pour the batter from a higher distance
- Use a toothpick or a baking needle to swirl through the batter
- Tap the cake tin against the table several times before transferring to the preheated oven
More tips on making sponge cake here.
Cream the butter and sugar properly.
This is the most important step when making fluffy cupcakes. Be sure to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy with a pale colour to incorporate enough air into the mixture. This is key to yielding an airy texture.
More tips on making cupcakes here.
Fill each cupcake mould until half full.
Be sure not to fill the cupcake moulds too full as you’ll be placing the hearts in the centre, which will rise up as you bake the cupcakes. Otherwise, the hearts will float up to the top instead of staying inside the cupcakes.
Press down the hearts into the cupcake batter.
When you place the hearts into the centre of each cupcake batter, be sure to press them down to the bottom. The batter will rise as you bake the cupcakes, which will naturally push up the hearts inside, and the hearts may eventually pop out of the cupcakes which is not desirable!
Do a toothpick test.
To know whether the cakes are done, perform a toothpick test. Insert a toothpick or a baking needle into the centre, it should come out clean.
Success tips for making buttercream frosting
Use squeezable soft butter.
You’ll need to use butter that is softened at room temperature that is squeezable yet still holds its shape. If your butter is too soft, it won’t have enough structure to hold the air as you whip it up, which will result in loose, runny buttercream.
Sift icing sugar in 2 separate times.
Sifting the icing sugar gets rid of any lumps to ensure the resulting buttercream is smooth. By sifting in 2 batches, this allows you to evenly blend the sugar with the whipped butter, and allows time to incorporate enough air between each interval to whip up the butter with volume.
Begin whipping at low speed.
After sifting in icing sugar, begin whipping at a low speed. Otherwise, the icing sugar will go all over the place!
Gradually add in milk.
If you’ve added in too much milk in one go, your buttercream will become too thin and runny, and may not hold its shape well. It’s best to add milk gradually and in small amounts, mixing thoroughly until you reach the desired consistency.
How to store leftovers?
Store the cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 1-2 days at room temperature or up to a week in the refrigerator.
Celebrate love this Valentine’s Day with these deliciously moist cupcakes, where a cute little heart peeks out from the centre as you take a bite! Perfect for sharing with your special someone or as a sweet surprise for friends, spread love with Valentine’s Day cupcakes to make every moment a little sweeter.
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Valentine’s Day Cupcakes
Equipment
- 6-inch round cake tin
- 15 cupcake moulds
- 1 heart-shaped cookie cutter
Ingredients
For the sponge cake (the hearts)
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 egg whites
- ¼ tsp salt
- 70 g sugar
- 90 g cake flour
- 30 g vegetable oil
- 30 g milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract optional
- Red food colouring
For the cupcakes
- 190 g plain flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 130 g sugar
- 125 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 185 ml milk
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- Fresh strawberries (for decoration)
For the buttercream
- 150 g butter
- 280 g icing sugar
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare the sponge cake
- Preheat the oven to 160ºC.
- In a small bowl, mix together egg yolks and vanilla extract.
- In another mixer bowl, beat the egg whites until 80% stiff (or soft peaks), adding sugar in 3 separate times.
- Transfer the egg yolk mixture to the meringue. Whisk till well combined.
- Sift in cake flour. Fold the mixture until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, add in vegetable oil, milk, and a small amount of the batter. Mix well.
- Pour the mixture back to the batter, add in salt, and fold until you get a smooth, frothy, and silky texture.
- Pour the batter into a 6-inch cake tin lined with parchment paper.
- Use a skewer, toothpick, or baking needle to swirl through the batter and tap the cake tin against the table several times. This step helps release air bubbles trapped in the batter.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 160ºC for 40-45 minutes.
- Let cool after baking. Meanwhile, prepare the cupcake batter.
Prepare the cupcakes
- In a large mixer bowl, add in plain flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Give it a mix and set aside.
- In another mixer bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs by beating 1 egg at a time.
- Sift in half of the flour mixture, then fold to mix the ingredients until combined.
- Add in half amount of milk. Whisk to combine.
- Repeat the previous steps by adding in the remaining flour mixture, fold to combine. Add in the remaining milk and vanilla extract. Whisk until just combined.
- Scoop the cupcake batter and fill the cupcake moulds until half full.
Assemble
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
- Go back to the cooled sponge cake, divide it in half, then use heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out heart shapes.
- Place each heart into the centre of the cupcake batter, press it down so it stays inside the heart when baked.
- Bake in the oven at 180°C for 20-25 minutes.
- Let cool.
Prepare the buttercream
- In a mixer bowl, whisk the butter for 5 minutes until smooth and silky with a pale colour.
- Sift in half amount of icing sugar. Begin whisking at low speed to avoid icing sugar from going all over the place. Gradually increase the speed to medium. Beat for 3-5 minutes until smooth, pale, and whipped up with volume.
- Sift in the remaining icing sugar. Again, begin whisking at low speed then gradually increase the speed, scraping the sides of the mixer bowl as necessary. Beat for 3-5 minutes. It should now be smooth, velvety, and fluffy, with a nice and pale colour that is almost white.
- Mix together milk and vanilla extract in another small bowl.
- Gradually add in milk mixture. I started with 2 tbsp of the milk mixture. Beat for 3-4 minutes until smooth and silky that’s spreadable but still holds its shape. You might need more milk if the consistency is still floppy or too thick.
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag and pipe it onto the cupcakes. Decorate with fresh strawberries on top, and enjoy!