Peppermint Stick Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream
A fun and colorful holiday sweet, with just enough peppermint flavor and plenty of sweet vanilla and white chocolate
Servings 18 cupcakes
Calories 389kcal
Ingredients
Peppermint Stick Cupcakes
- ½ Cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Eggs room temperature
- ½ Cup Ricotta room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ¼ tsp Peppermint Extract
- 1 ½ Cups All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ Cup Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Cream of Tartar see recipe note
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream room temperature
- 3 Candy Canes
White Chocolate Buttercream
- 1 Cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter softened, but not melted
- 3 Cups Confectioner's Sugar
- ¾ Cup White Chocolate Chips melted and cooled slightly
- ¼ tsp Peppermint Extract optional
- 1-2 Tbsp Milk
- Gel Food Dye optional
Instructions
Peppermint Stick Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle, and line a standard-size cupcake pan with paper liners.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light, fluffy and combined, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add in the eggs, and mix them in on low until the yolks are broken up. Then add in the ricotta and extracts. Mix on low until everything is uniform and combined.
- Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt until thorughly combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the stand mixer bowl all at once and mix on low until they are just incorporated, and there are no dry pockets of flour. Then add in the heavy cream, and mix again until just combined.
- Crushed the candy canes using a heavy rolling pin, bottle, or mallet. Pour the crushed pieces through a mesh strainer, and set aside the fine dust that is strained out. Fold the larger pieces that remain in the strainer into the batter using a silicone spatula.
- Use an ice cream or cookie scoop to fill the lined cupcake pan with the batter. Fill each cup about ¾ of the way full. If you are using a standard 12-cupcake pan, you should be using about ⅔ of the batter. Use the rest in a second batch of 6.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean of each cupcake, and the tops bounce back in you gently touch them. Let them cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
White Chocolate Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and whip on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the sugar, one cup at a time. Mix on medium, incorporating each cup completely before adding the next.
- Add in the white chocolate and peppermint extract if desired. Continue mixing on medium until incorporated. If the frosting is too thick, add the milk as needed. It should hold its shape, but not be so stiff that it cracks or crumbles.
- Add in the food dye as desired. I used 6 drops of red and 1 drop of blue for a rosy pink. Mix on medium-low until full incorporated.
- Use a toothpick with red food dye to draw lines on the inside of a piping bag fitted with a French star tip. Add the frosting, and then pipe onto the fully cooled cupcakes in a spiral pattern.
- If desired, dust the tops of the cupcakes with the remaining candy cane dust. Serve immediately, or store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Notes
- If you prefer to use baking powder, replace the cream of tartar and baking soda in the recipe with 1 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp baking soda.
- Make ahead tip:
- Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature in a sealed container for 1 day, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- The frosting can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 weeks, but let it come to room temperature before piping.
- Frosted cupcakes can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. Serve cold or let them warm up to room temperature.