Valentine’s Day Cupcakes
Valentine’s Day Cupcakes are the perfect sweet treat to share with your loved ones! Whether you’re baking them for your sweetheart or your kids or just treating yourself (because you deserve it!), these cupcakes are light, fluffy, and topped with a creamy vanilla frosting that’s absolutely delicious.
The best part? They’re made with simple pantry staples—no complicated ingredients or techniques required. You can keep them classic or dress them up with festive sprinkles, heart-shaped toppers, or even a drizzle of chocolate for an extra touch of sweetness.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: No complicated steps or fancy equipment needed! Just mix, bake, and frost for a delicious homemade treat.
- Light and Fluffy Texture: These cupcakes turn out soft, airy, and perfectly moist every time.
- Simple Ingredients: You probably have everything in your pantry already—no last-minute grocery runs required!
- Perfect for Decorating: Add sprinkles, heart-shaped toppers, or a drizzle of chocolate to make them extra festive for Valentine’s Day.
- Great for Sharing: Whether surprising your sweetheart, making treats for a school party, or just enjoying them with family, these cupcakes are always a hit!
- Classic Vanilla Flavor: A timeless favorite that pairs perfectly with the creamy frosting. You can even add a little food coloring to the icing for a fun Valentine’s Day touch!
Ingredients
The full printable recipe card with measurements and instructions is found at the bottom of the post.
For the Cupcakes:
- All-purpose flour: Provides the structure for soft and fluffy cupcakes.
- Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps create a tender texture.
- Baking powder: Gives the cupcakes their light and airy rise.
- Milk: Keeps the cupcakes moist and adds richness.
- Shortening: Helps create a soft crumb and keeps the cupcakes from drying out.
- Salt: Enhances the flavors and balances the sweetness.
- Egg whites: Make the cupcakes extra light and fluffy.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a warm, sweet flavor to both the cupcakes and the frosting.
For the Frosting:
- Powdered sugar: Creates a smooth, sweet, and creamy frosting.
- Salted butter: Adds richness and a slight hint of salt to balance the sweetness.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances the flavor of the frosting.
- Milk: Helps achieve the perfect frosting consistency—smooth and spreadable!
How to Make Valentine’s Day Cupcakes
Vanilla Cupcakes
- Step One: Preheat oven to 350°F. Add paper liners to a cupcake pan. Set aside.
- Step Two: In a large mixing bowl, beat flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, shortening, and milk with an electric mixer on low speed for about a minute. Beat another two minutes on medium speed until the flour mixture is well combined.
- Step Three: Add egg whites and vanilla to the mixing bowl. Beat another 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Step Four: Add a scoop of batter to each cupcake liner until almost full.
- Step Five: Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely.
Buttercream Icing
- Step One: In a large mixing bowl, beat powdered sugar and butter with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Add in vanilla and milk and increase speed to medium. Mix until well combined and smooth.
- Step Two: Spread cupcake frosting over cooled cupcakes. Optional: decorate the cake with fun Valentine sprinkles, pink candies, or cupcake toppers. Easy peasy!
What to Serve with Them
Serve these cupcakes for Valentine’s Day after one of these delicious meals:
Variations and Substitutions
- Swap the Shortening: If you don’t have shortening, use unsalted butter instead. The texture may be slightly different, but the cupcakes will still be delicious!
- Make Them Chocolate: Turn these into chocolate Valentine’s Day Cupcakes by replacing ¼ cup of the flour with cocoa powder.
- Add a Pop of Color: A few drops of red or pink food coloring in the batter or frosting will give them a festive Valentine’s Day touch.
- Use a Different Frosting: While vanilla frosting is a classic choice, you can switch it up with chocolate, strawberry, or even cream cheese frosting for a tangy twist.
- Make Mini Cupcakes: Perfect for bite-sized treats! Just adjust the baking time to about 12-14 minutes.
- Add a Filling: Surprise your valentine by piping a little strawberry jam, chocolate ganache, or even whipped cream into the center of each cupcake.
Storage Instructions
- Room Temperature: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Keep them in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
- Refrigerator: If you need to store them longer, place the cupcakes in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Let them sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving to soften the frosting.
- Freezing (Unfrosted Cupcakes): To freeze, wrap the unfrosted cupcakes individually in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. They’ll stay fresh for up to 3 months. When ready to use, let them thaw at room temperature before frosting.
- Freezing (Frosted Cupcakes): If you want to freeze fully decorated cupcakes, place them on a baking sheet in the freezer for about an hour until the frosting firms up. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe container, making sure they aren’t squished. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature before serving.
- Make-Ahead Tip: You can bake the cupcakes a day or two in advance and store them unfrosted until you’re ready to decorate. This is a great time-saver for busy schedules!
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Let your milk, egg whites, and butter sit out for 30 minutes before baking. This helps everything mix more smoothly for a better texture.
- Don’t Overmix the Batter: Overmixing can lead to dense cupcakes. Mix just until the ingredients are combined and smooth.
- Fill Cupcake Liners Evenly: For evenly baked cupcakes, fill each liner about ¾ full. A cookie scoop makes this easy and mess-free!
- Check for Doneness: Every oven is different! Start checking the cupcakes at 18 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, they’re ready.
- Cool Completely Before Frosting: Frosting warm cupcakes can cause the icing to melt and slide off. Give them plenty of time to cool before decorating.
- Make the Frosting Extra Fluffy: Beat the frosting for an extra minute or two to create a light, airy texture.
- Decorate Like a Pro: Use a piping bag with a star tip for beautiful swirls of frosting. Add festive sprinkles, heart toppers, or a drizzle of melted chocolate for an extra special touch.
- Customize the Flavor: Add a teaspoon of almond or strawberry extract to the frosting for a fun flavor twist!
Valentine’s Day Desserts
- Pretzel Hugs
- Valentine’s Day Fudge
- Red Velvet Cookies
- Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Follow me on Instagram @simplystacieblog, Facebook at Simply Stacie, TikTok @simplystacierecipes or Pinterest at @simplystacie and let me know how you liked this recipe and my other recipes.
Valentine’s Day Cupcakes
These Valentine’s Day Cupcakes are soft, fluffy, and topped with a creamy vanilla frosting. Easy to make and perfect for sharing, they’re a sweet way to celebrate love!
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Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 egg whites
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 to 3 tbsp milk
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Add paper liners to a muffin pan. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, shortening and milk with an electric mixer on low speed for about a minute. Beat an additional two minutes on medium speed until well combined.
- Add egg whites and vanilla to mixing bowl. Beat another 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Add a scoop of batter to each cupcake liner until almost full.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely.
Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, beat powdered sugar and butter with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Add in vanilla and milk and increase speed to medium. Mix until well combined and smooth.
- Spread icing over cooled cupcakes. Optional: add cake sprinkles or cupcake toppers to decorate.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 31.7g | Protein: 2.6g | Fat: 9.4g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4.8g | Trans Fat: 0.6g | Cholesterol: 12.1mg | Sodium: 124.2mg | Fiber: 1.2g | Sugar: 23.3g
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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