Vanilla cupcakes topped with buttercream flavored and colored with finely ground Smarties.
Grind the Smarties for the frosting to a fine powder; the color is pale and pastel rather than bright. The ground Smarties are mostly sugar, so the frosting uses less powdered sugar than usual.
Frosted cupcakes keep 2 days at room temperature or 4 days in the fridge. Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting.
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter for the batter
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract for the batter
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 cup unsalted butter for the buttercream
- 2 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract for the buttercream
- 3 rolls Smarties
- 3 rolls Smarties
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter for the batter
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract for the batter
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 cup unsalted butter for the buttercream
- 2 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract for the buttercream
- 3 rolls Smarties
- 3 rolls Smarties
Instructions
Prep
Heat the oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Grind 3 rolls of Smarties into a fine powder and crush 3 more rolls coarsely for decoration, using a candy grinder, or a zip-top bag and rolling pin.
Equipment: 12-cup muffin tin, cupcake liners, candy grinder
Make the batter
Whisk all-purpose flour (1 ½ cup), baking powder (1 ½ tsp) and salt (¼ tsp) together.
Beat unsalted butter for the batter (½ cup) with granulated sugar (1 cup) until fluffy.
Beat in eggs and vanilla extract for the batter (1 ½ tsp), then add the flour mixture alternately with whole milk (¾ cup) until smooth.
Divide among the 12 liners.
Equipment: mixing bowls, electric mixer, cupcake liners
Bake
Bake about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely on a rack.
Equipment: 12-cup muffin tin, cooling rack
Make the buttercream
Beat unsalted butter for the buttercream (1 cup) until pale and creamy.
Beat in powdered sugar (2 ½ cup) gradually, then heavy cream (2 tbsp), vanilla extract for the buttercream (½ tsp) and Smarties, finely ground (3 rolls) until fluffy.
Equipment: mixing bowl, electric mixer
Decorate
Pipe or spread the buttercream on the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with Smarties, coarsely crushed (3 rolls).
Equipment: piping bag, cupcake liners
Before you cook
Cook notes
- • Grind the Smarties for the frosting to a fine powder; the color is pale and pastel rather than bright.
- • The ground Smarties are mostly sugar, so the frosting uses less powdered sugar than usual.
- • Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting.
- • Frosted cupcakes keep 2 days at room temperature or 4 days in the fridge.
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