Yellow Cupcakes
Is there a more classic birthday combination than yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting? These yellow cupcakes are soft and tender with amazing vanilla flavor and a beautiful yellow color. A swirl of rich chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles make this yellow cupcake recipe the ultimate birthday treat.
Ingredients for Yellow Cupcakes
Yellow Cupcakes
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Vegetable oil – Use your favorite neutral baking oil.
- Eggs – Egg and egg yolks give the cupcakes their signature yellow color.
- Sour cream – Room temperature. Substitute with plain greek yogurt.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract for the best vanilla flavor.
- Milk – 2% or whole milk at room temperature. You could also use buttermilk.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar – Confectioners’ sugar/icing sugar.
- Dark cocoa powder – Use dark cocoa for the most intense chocolate flavor.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract.
- Salt
- Heavy cream – Helps the buttercream become smooth and creamy.
Additional Ingredients
- Rainbow sprinkles
How to Make Yellow Cupcakes
- Prep and preheat: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- Make the cupcake batter: Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Cream the granulated sugar, butter, and vegetable oil until combined and smooth. Add the egg, egg yolks, sour cream, and vanilla extract and mix well. Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the milk, mixing in between, until the batter is combined and smooth.
- Bake the cupcakes: Portion the cupcake batter into the paper liners using a large cookie scoop (about 3/4 full). Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the frosting: Whip the butter until light and creamy. Add in the powdered sugar and mix to combine. Add in the dark cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Drizzle in the heavy cream. Mix the frosting on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until you achieve a smooth and creamy consistency.
- Frost the cupcakes: Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip with the chocolate frosting. Pipe a generous swirl of frosting onto the cupcakes and decorate with rainbow sprinkles.
Recipe Tips
- Check out my baking tips posts on 10 Tips for Baking Perfect Cupcakes and 10 Tips for Making Perfect Buttercream to learn simple tips and tricks to make the most out of this recipe.
- If you want to learn more about my favorite cupcake baking and decorating supplies, be sure to check out this post for more information.
- Learn how to frost cupcakes and my favorite piping tips for frosting cupcakes.
- Check out my baking tips posts on 10 Tips for Making Perfect Buttercream and How to Make Smooth Buttercream Frosting to learn simple tips and tricks to making super smooth and creamy frosting.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store the cupcakes?
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 days or in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Serve the cupcakes at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
How do yellow cupcakes get their yellow color?
- Yellow cupcakes get their signature yellow color from the addition of extra egg yolks. Not only does it add a pale yellow color, but also adds additional moisture to the cupcake batter.
What other frostings pair well with yellow cupcakes?
- Since these cupcakes have a vanilla flavor, you can use any type of frosting or buttercream frosting.
Other Recipes You Will Love
- Yellow cake
- Easy chocolate cupcakes
- Vanilla cupcakes
- Chocolate cream cheese frosting
- Chocolate buttercream frosting
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Yellow Cupcakes
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Is there a more classic birthday combination than yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting? These yellow cupcakes are soft and tender with amazing vanilla flavor and a beautiful yellow color. A swirl of rich chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles make this yellow cupcake recipe the ultimate birthday treat.
Equipment
Ingredients
Yellow Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp (1.5 tsp) baking powder
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 (1) large egg room temperature
- 2 (2) large egg yolks room temperature
- 2 tbsp (30 g) sour cream room temperature
- 1 tbsp (13 g) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120 ml) milk room temperature
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup (30 g) dark cocoa powder
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- 2 tbsp (30 g) heavy cream
Additional Ingredients
- ¼ cup (40 g) rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
Yellow Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the granulated sugar, unsalted butter, and vegetable oil for a few minutes until light and creamy. Add the egg, egg yolks, sour cream, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
- Add in half of the flour mixture and mix until mostly combined. Then, pour in the milk and mix. Add the remaining half of the flour mixture and mix until combined and smooth.
- Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop about ¾ full. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes or until the cupcakes bounces back when gently touched. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the unsalted butter for 5 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Add in the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until fully combined with the butter. Add in the dark cocoa powder, vanilla extract and salt. Mix until the ingredients are well combined. Drizzle in the heavy cream while mixing on low speed.
- Turn the mixer to medium speed and whip the buttercream for 2 to 3 minutes until it is smooth and creamy. Mix the frosting on low speed for several minutes to remove any air bubbles.
Assembling the Yellow Cupcakes
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip with the chocolate buttercream frosting. Pipe a generous swirl of chocolate frosting onto the yellow cupcakes. Decorate the cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles.
Notes
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 days or in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Serve at room temperature.
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Categories:
Birthday, Chocolate, Cupcakes, Fourth of July, Popular Recipes, Spring, Summer, Vanilla, Winter,
About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
Amazing!!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Chris! Thanks for the positive review!
Is there any reason you can’t make a cake with a cupcake recipe or cupcakes from a cake recipe?
Hi Laurel! Some cake and cupcake recipes are formulated specifically regarding ingredients, amounts, and instructions to make better cakes or cupcakes. For some recipes, it doesn’t matter, and for others it can. For example, my vanilla cupcake recipe makes great cupcakes, but because it is an oil only recipe and does not include butter, I have found that the texture of the cake layers is not the same. But conversely, my easy chocolate cupcake recipe is pretty much the same recipe as my chocolate cake recipe. I’m not a food scientist, so I’m just going off anecdotal experience, so I don’t have a precise answer, but more so based off experimentation with my recipe formulations.