These Heart Shaped Valentine’s Day Cupcakes are the sweetest treat! Fluffy white cake is shaped into a heart and topped with fluffy raspberry buttercream.
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Cupcakes for Valentine's Day!
Heart-shaped cupcakes… Is anything cuter for Valentine’s Day?! Perhaps you’ve seen these adorable mini cakes grace your Pinterest feed, show up on magazine covers, or continue to pop up in your Instagram. Regardless, I’m here to show you just how simple it is to make these cutie little cakes – no fancy pan required.
How To Make Heart Shaped Cupcakes
While these cupcakes may not be the perfect heart shape, frosting them with a silky smooth raspberry Swiss meringue buttercream once they’re baked can transform them into the perfect Valentine. And they beauty is truly in how simple this process is. You see, you need a basic kitchen item that I would bet you already have in your kitchen: tinfoil.
All you have to do is roll a littler piece of tinfoil up into a ball, and stick it between the cupcake liner and the muffin tin, after the liner has been filled with batter! You pop it right into the oven and these adorable heart shaped cupcakes are the end result. How nifty is that?
Ingredients for Heart Shaped Cupcakes
- Cake Flour
- Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Egg Whites + 1 Whole Egg
- Full Fat Vanilla Yogurt
- Vanilla Extract
- Amond Extract
Ingredients for Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Egg Whites
- Sugar
- Unsalted Butter
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
- Freeze-Dried Raspberries
Step-By-Step
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two muffins with cupcake liners.
- Mix all of the dry ingredients on slow speed to blend. Add the soft butter and mix until evenly crumbly, like fine damp sand. It may form a paste, depending on the temperature of the butter, how much it’s mixed, and granulation of the sugar used.
- Add the egg whites one at a time, then the whole egg, beating well after each addition to begin building the structure of the cake. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition.
- In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt with the vanilla and almond extracts. Add this mixture, 1/3 at a time, to the batter. Beat 1 to 2 minutes after each addition, until fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Pour the batter into the muffin tins. Using balled-up tinfoilm insert one ball between the muffin tin and the cupcake liner after it’s been filled with batter. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. A toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean when done. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes in the pan.
For the Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- Add egg whites and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer, or another heatproof bowl that will fit in a saucepan filled with about an inch of water. Be sure the bowl is not touching the water: you want the steam that comes off the water in the saucepan to be what “cooks” your egg white and sugar mixture.
- Whisk constantly until sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. If you’re using a stand mixer and not already using its mixing bowl, transfer the mixture to that bowl. It’s ok that the mixture is still warm!
- Whip mixture with the whisk attachment until stiff glossy peaks form and mixture is no longer warm. This should take about 15 minutes. Note that the level of humidity will impact how long this takes!
- Next, using the paddle attachment, add your butter 1 tablespoon at a time, until all butter is incorporated. Add raspberries ,vanilla extract and salt, mixing until combined.
- Using a pastry bag fitted with a star or round tip, pipe the frosting on your cooled cupcakes and top with sprinkles.
Tools To Make Heart Shaped Cupcakes
- Stand Mixer (or a great hand mixer!)
- Muffin Tin
- Tin Foil!
- Cupcake Liners
- Saucepan
- Whisk
- Piping Bags
- Pastry Tips
More Cupcakes, Please!
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Heart Shaped Valentine's Day Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups Cake Flour
- 1 2/3 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 4 large egg whites plus 1 whole large egg at room temperature
- 1 cup full-fat vanilla yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
For the Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 egg whites
- 12 Tbsp butter, softened but still cool
- 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two muffins with cupcake liners.
- Mix all of the dry ingredients on slow speed to blend. Add the soft butter and mix until evenly crumbly, like fine damp sand. It may form a paste, depending on the temperature of the butter, how much it's mixed, and granulation of the sugar used.
- Add the egg whites one at a time, then the whole egg, beating well after each addition to begin building the structure of the cake. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition.
- In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt with the vanilla and almond extracts. Add this mixture, 1/3 at a time, to the batter. Beat 1 to 2 minutes after each addition, until fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Pour the batter into the muffin tins. Using balled-up tinfoilm insert one ball between the muffin tin and the cupcake liner after it's been filled with batter. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. A toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean when done. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes in the pan.
For the Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- Add egg whites and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer, or another heatproof bowl that will fit in a saucepan filled with about an inch of water. Be sure the bowl is not touching the water: you want the steam that comes off the water in the saucepan to be what "cooks" your egg white and sugar mixture.
- Whisk constantly until sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. If you're using a stand mixer and not already using its mixing bowl, transfer the mixture to that bowl. It's ok that the mixture is still warm!
- Whip mixture with the whisk attachment until stiff glossy peaks form and mixture is no longer warm. This should take about 15 minutes. Note that the level of humidity will impact how long this takes!
- Next, using the paddle attachment, add your butter 1 tablespoon at a time, until all butter is incorporated. Add raspberries ,vanilla extract and salt, mixing until combined.
- Using a pastry bag fitted with a star or round tip, pipe the frosting on your cooled cupcakes and top with sprinkles.