Pretty in pink is the best description for these pink cupcakes—and not just the frosting. The cake is also pink!
Pink Cupcakes
A pink cupcake recipe isn’t just for Valentine’s Day or baby showers—everybody loves these. They’re super moist and fluffy and are easy on the eyes thanks to the pink sugar, pink-paste food coloring and pink pearls. The best part is the 30-minute prep time. You then bake for 25 minutes, chill, frost and serve. You can definitely make these ahead of time, too!
Cupcakes are a sweet, nostalgic treat to bring to a gathering as they travel really well. Bring them to a picnic or outdoor event and you don’t even need a knife for these hand-held treats. They’re the ideal pick-me-up for the person who loves all things pink!
Ingredients for Pink Cupcakes
- Butter: Unsalted butter is preferred as the salt will already be added to the recipe.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is what makes these cupcakes moist and fluffy.
- Pink paste food coloring: Although food-coloring kits don’t come with a pink option, there is an equally easy option: a pink paste dye sold in the baking aisle. Note that you only need a very small quantity of this gel-like substance but by increasing the amount you can deepen the pink hue.
- Eggs: This recipe calls for three large eggs. If all you have are medium eggs, three will suffice.
- Vanilla extract: You won’t be able to detect the vanilla in this recipe but any brand of vanilla extract goes a long way to add flavor. Otherwise, your cupcakes will taste bland.
- All-purpose flour: This is the most common flour sold in grocery stores.
- Baking powder: Baking powder is important in cupcakes because it allows them to rise—so you don’t have flat, short cakes.
- Baking soda: Like baking powder, baking soda helps the cupcakes rise but it also adds fluffy texture.
- Salt: Use either finely ground table salt, or sea salt that’s been ground and is no longer coarse. You want the salt to evenly disperse.
- Buttermilk: Using buttermilk is more about chemistry than sweetening the recipe. Buttermilk tenderizes the gluten from the flour and leads to a soft cupcake.
- White baking chips: These white-chocolate chips make the ganache white. They’re sold in a bag in the baking aisle just like milk-chocolate chips.
- Heavy whipping cream: Together with the chocolate, milk-based heavy whipping cream is a key ingredient for your ganache frosting as it adds richness.
- Butter: In addition to using butter for the cake recipe, butter is needed to make the ganache frosting.
- Pink coarse sugar: Also called sanding sugar, pink coarse sugar is sold in the baking aisle.
- Pink pearls: Like pink coarse sugar, you can find pink pearls in the baking aisle. They’re essentially tiny balls of sugar.
Directions
Step 1: Cream the wet ingredients together
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar and food coloring until the mixture is light and fluffy, for five to seven minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat them well after each addition. Then beat in the vanilla.
Step 2: Mix in the dry ingredients
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add these to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.
Step 3: Bake the cupcakes
Fill 24 paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 27 minutes. Cool them for 10 minutes before removing from the pans to wire racks and cool completely.
Step 4: Make the ganache frosting
Place the white chips in a small bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just begins to boil. Pour the cream over the chips and whisk until smooth. Stir in the butter. Transfer the ganache frosting to a large bowl. Chill for 30 minutes, stirring once.
Beat the ganache frosting on high speed until soft peaks form and it’s light and fluffy, two to three minutes. Frost the cupcakes and top the cupcakes with coarse sugar and sugar pearls. Store in the refrigerator until it’s time to enjoy them.
Editor’s Tip: Chopped white baking chocolate—instead of chips—also works well in the frosting. For a super silky-smooth ganache, pour hot cream over the chocolate chips. Wait for a minute or two, then whisk.
Pink Cupcake Variations
- Turn them into baby-blue cupcakes. If you’re eyeing these for a baby shower—but plan to celebrate a boy—use blue food coloring and blue sugar instead.
- Serve à la mode: This dessert screams even more pink with a scoop of strawberry ice cream or raspberry gelato.
How to Store Pink Cupcakes
Surprisingly, these cupcakes taste best when stored in the fridge. Eat them within the next few days.
Can you freeze pink cupcakes?
As long as they’re kept in an airtight container or a resealable freezer bag these cupcakes keep well in the freezer. You will want to eat them within three months. You only need defrost the cupcakes for 15 to 20 minutes. Some people even freeze cupcakes unfrosted so that the frosting is the freshest it can be—and not smushed.
How long do pink cupcakes last?
If stored in the fridge, these cupcakes will remain fresh for three to five days.
Can you make pink cupcakes ahead of time?
You can definitely make the cupcakes ahead of time and frost later—or even make the frosting ahead of time so that they are ready to go when you pull these out of the oven.
How do you reheat pink cupcakes?
These are best eaten cold. No reheating is necessary.
Pink Cupcakes Tips
Can I make these gluten-free?
Yes! It’s easy to bake a gluten-free version. All you have to do substitute the flour with gluten-free flour in a 1:1 ratio. You will also want to double check that the white chips are gluten-free, as most are but some are not.
Can I adjust the recipe to make mini cupcakes?
As long as you have a mini-cupcake pan, you’re all set. Just know that you will have a lot more than 24 cupcakes!
What happens if I don’t use cupcake liners?
You don’t need paper cupcake liners. Those are more about the final presentation. If it’s not important to you to serve with liners as long as you grease the muffin tins before baking.
Watch How to Make Pink Velvet Cupcakes
Pink Velvet Cupcakes
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
25 min
Yield
2 dozen
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1-1/4 cups sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon pink paste food coloring
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
- 2 cups white baking chips
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Pink coarse sugar and sugar pearls
Directions
- In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and food coloring until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.
- Fill 24 paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23-27 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, place white chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chips; whisk until smooth. Stir in butter. Transfer to a large bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, stirring once.
- Beat on high speed until soft peaks form and frosting is light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Frost cupcakes. Top cupcakes with coarse sugar and sugar pearls. Store in refrigerator.
Nutrition Facts
1 cupcake: 266 calories, 15g fat (9g saturated fat), 57mg cholesterol, 154mg sodium, 29g carbohydrate (20g sugars, 0 fiber), 3g protein.
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My daughter loves all things pink, so this recipe was just right for her birthday. Even my teenage son (not a fan of pink) ate his share too. —Paulette Smith, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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