White Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

White Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes – Light and fluffy peppermint cupcakes topped with a silky white chocolate peppermint buttercream.

This is a recipe from my old blog that I decided to tweak a little bit and take some updated photos for. White chocolate and peppermint is one of my favourite Christmas flavour combos and I think it stems from my love for Hershey’s candy cane kisses…Anybody else love these? They are a serious addiction for me this time of year. That’s why I topped these cupcakes with them!

These cupcakes are super fun and easy to make! Here’s what you will need and how to make them!

What you will need

All Purpose Flour

Baking Soda 

Baking Powder

Granulated Sugar

Salt

Canola Oil – I opted for oil in these cupcakes because I find it gives a little bit of a lighter and moister texture. 

Buttermilk – I use buttermilk in a lot of my cake recipes as it adds a lot of moisture. If you don’t have any on hand you can make your own! This recipe calls for half a cup of buttermilk.  Add 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to 1/2 cup of regular milk and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Voila! You’ve got buttermilk!

2 Egg Whites – Using only egg whites aids in that light and fluffy texture as well as keeps the cake light in colour. 

Peppermint Extract

Vanilla Extract

Unsalted Butter – I like using slightly chilled butter in my buttercream because it helps keep the buttercream a bit stiffer. This is helpful if you plan on piping with it!

White Chocolate Chips

Heavy Cream – 35% heavy whipping cream. This is essential for a fluffy buttercream!

Powdered Sugar

How to make White Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

For the Peppermint Cupcakes

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric or stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, mix together the oil and egg whites. Next add in the sugar and whisk until combined

With the mixer on low, add in the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix until just combined. 

Lastly, add in the vanilla and peppermint extracts. 

Divide the batter evenly among cupcake liners. Bake for 16-18 minutes at 350 degrees F. 

For the White Chocolate Peppermint Buttercream

First we are going to make a white chocolate ganache.

In a microwave safe dish or measuring cup, melt the white chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Microwave in 15 second increments and stir in between to avoid the mixture from seizing. Once the ganache is smooth and there are no clumps, set aside to cool a little. 

Using a handheld or stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until fluffy. Then add the ganache in with the butter and beat until smooth. Be sure to let the ganache cool a little before adding or it will melt the butter. 

With the mixer on low, slowly add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Once all the powdered sugar is in, add the additional 1 tablespoon of cream and peppermint extract. Whip on high speed for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. 

Note

This recipe makes quite a bit of buttercream. It is designed this way so that you have enough for piping nice big swirls! If you are just spreading it on with spatula you will mostly likely have extra. You can keep this buttercream in the fridge for about a week, or in the freezer for 3-4 weeks. Use the extra for cookie sandwiches, another batch of cupcakes later on or dipping sugar cookies in like dunkaroos!

Once the cupcakes have cooled, decorate them with the buttercream however you like! I used an Ateco 829 piping tip for these and love the swirls you can create with it. These would also be super cute with a two toned red and white buttercream like a candy cane!

This recipe only makes 12 cupcakes, but can easily be doubled if you need more!

If you loved this recipe, check out some of my other cupcakes recipes.

Bubbly Champagne Cupcakes – perfect for New Year’s Eve!

Rosé Cupcakes

Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

White Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

Recipe by Kelsey LacombeCourse: DessertDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Bake time

18

minutes

These cupcakes taste like a candy cane! Light and fluffy Peppermint Cupcakes topped with a White Chocolate Peppermint Buttercream!

Ingredients

• For the Peppermint Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• 2 egg whites

• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• For the White Chocolate Peppermint Buttercream

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled

• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

• 3 cups powdered sugar

• 1 tablespoon heavy cream

• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Directions

• For the Peppermint Cupcakes
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12 count cupcake tin with liners. Set aside.
• In a medium sized bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric or stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, mix together the oil and egg whites. Next add in the sugar and whisk until combined
• With the mixer on low, add in the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix until just combined.
• Lastly, add in the vanilla and peppermint extracts.
• Divide the batter evenly among cupcake liners and bake for 16-18 minutes at 350 degrees F.
• For the White Chocolate Peppermint Buttercream
• The first step is to make a white chocolate ganache. In a microwave safe dish or measuring cup, melt the white chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Microwave in 15 second increments and stir in between to avoid the mixture from seizing. Once the ganache is smooth and there are no clumps, set aside to cool a little.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until fluffy. Then add the ganache in with butter and beat until smooth. Be sure to let the ganache cool a little before adding or it will melt the butter.
• With the mixer on low, slowly add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Once all the powdered sugar is in, add the additional 1 tablespoon of cream and peppermint extract. Whip on high speed for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy.
• Once the cupcakes have cooled, decorate them with the buttercream however you like!

Notes

• This recipe makes quite a bit of buttercream. It is designed this way so that you have enough for piping nice big swirls! If you are just spreading it on with spatula you will mostly likely have extra. You can keep this buttercream in the fridge for about a week, or in the freezer in a ziploc for 3-4 weeks. Use the extra for cookie sandwiches, another batch of cupcakes later on or dipping sugar cookies in like dunkaroos!
• This recipe can be doubled.

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