White Chocolate Cupcakes

These moist white chocolate cupcakes are made from scratch. They are frosted with the BEST easy and silky white chocolate buttercream!

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I know I've professed my love for white chocolate many times. It's been used in my easy white chocolate brownies, white chocolate raspberry cookies, white chocolate coconut cookies and white chocolate sugar cookies just to name a few.

For my birthday last year I strayed from my normal coconut cake and tried a white chocolate cake. The cake was good in the first try, but it wasn't as moist and tender as I would have liked. So I've spent the last nine months working on one that I felt was worth sharing. I hope you love it!

why you will love these light and fluffy cupcakes

• White chocolate flavor ~ this isn't just a vanilla cupcake recipe with white chocolate thrown in as an afterthought. The white chocolate flavor is subtle, but you definitely taste it in the unfrosted cupcakes.
• The best texture ~this recipe creates moist, soft and tender cupcakes!
• White chocolate buttercream ~ for true white chocolate lovers, this silky homemade frosting is easy! It has a texture and taste like Swiss meringue buttercream, but it's much more simple to make.

white chocolate cupcakes ingredients {and substitutions}

• Unsalted butter ~ Used for both the cupcakes and buttercream. The butter needs to be room temperature; pull it out an hour or two before baking.
• Granulated sugar ~ to keep the cupcakes light in color.
• Buttermilk ~ I prefer to use a store-bought buttermilk, but in a pinch you can make your own. Use ½ cup whole milk and ½ tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes before using.
• White chocolate ~ This is the star of the show so be sure to use a quality white chocolate baking bar. I like Ghirardelli, Lindt, and Callebaut. You can usually find white chocolate baking bars near the chocolate chips in the grocery store. I do not recommend using white chocolate chips.
• Egg whites ~ need to be room temperature; pull them out with the butter.
• Oil {not shown} ~ you can use canola oil or vegetable oil.
• Sour cream ~ use full fat sour cream at room temperature; pull it out with the butter.
• Vanilla ~ compliments the white chocolate flavor.
• Cake flour ~ if you don't have cake flour you can make your own; see my coconut cake post for instructions. All-purpose flour can be substituted, but the cupcakes won't be quite as fluffy and light.
• Baking powder and baking soda ~ I use aluminum free baking powder.
• Kosher salt ~ to balance the flavors. If you only have table salt, start with half the amount and adjust if needed.
• Confectioners' sugar and heavy whipping cream {not shown} ~ used for the easy and not-too-sweet white chocolate buttercream frosting.

how to make moist and tender cupcakes

Start by preheating the oven and lining two muffin pans with 14 cupcake liners {Paper Chef is my favorite}.

Place the white chocolate and buttermilk in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the chocolate has melted. Pour the mixture into a bowl or cup and set aside to cool.

Sift together the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then scrape the bowl again and with the mixer on low drizzle in the oil and mix.

Now add the egg whites and vanilla and beat on low 1-2 minutes. Scrape up and down the sides of the bowl and add the sour cream {the mixture can start to look a little curdled}.

Next, with the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture and the cooled buttermilk/white chocolate mixture in alternating additions until just a little flour is still showing. Finish mixing until just combined with a spatula, being careful to not over mix your batter.

Divide your batter between the 14 cupcake liners, filling them ⅔ full. {I use size 16 scoop/¼ cup} Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Then cool the cupcakes before frosting them with the white chocolate buttercream.

how to make white chocolate buttercream

This recipe makes the best white chocolate frosting! It uses my not-too-sweet American buttercream method, which gives a taste and texture much closer to Swiss meringue buttercream. The butter gets whipped for 10+ minutes and it creates the silkiest homemade buttercream!

To start melt the white chocolate using the double boiler method or in the microwave {if you are comfortable using the microwave for melting chocolate}. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Beat the butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment {or using a hand-held mixer} on high for 5 minutes. Stop about half way through to scrape up and down the bowl. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix on low until the sugar is incorporated. Add the heavy cream and beat on high for another five minutes. Scrape up and down the bowl, add the cooled melted white chocolate, vanilla and a pinch of salt and beat 2 minutes more.

Then decorate as desired. I used a Wilton 1M tip for the cupcake photos in this post.

can you add coloring to white chocolate buttercream?

Yes! I would recommend a gel based food coloring such as Chefmaster or Americolor.

how to quickly cool cupcakes

I tend to be impatient and don't want to wait around for my cupcakes to cool before I can decorate them. Once the cupcakes have finished baking let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then move them to a wire cooling rack and let them cool another 5 minutes before placing them in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.

why did my cupcakes sink in the middle?

This can happen for several different reasons. The one that gets me most frequently is over-mixing the batter. When the batter is over-mixed it incorporates too much air. When the cupcakes bake the air escapes and can create the sunken effect.

To avoid over-mixing the batter, stop the mixer when a few streaks of flour are still remaining and hand mix the final flour in until the batter just comes together.

If your leavening agents {baking soda and baking powder} have expired it can also cause baked goods to sink in the middle as the correct chemical reaction won't occur.

Oven temperature can also play a part. If your oven runs hot, it can cause the cupcakes to rise too quickly and then fall flat. I use this oven thermometer to keep track of my oven temperature. And occasionally test using my Thermoworks Square Dot as well.

more frosting flavor options

For truly decadent white chocolate cupcakes frost them with my easy and not-too-sweet American white chocolate buttercream {included in the recipe card below}.

Lemon and white chocolate is also a magical combination! But have you ever tried white chocolate with cookie butter? It too is a lovely combination. And you can never go wrong with raspberry frosting on white chocolate cupcakes!

If you like more of a chocolate and white chocolate combo, the ganache from my Baileys cupcakes would be delicious.

can I use a filling inside white chocolate cupcakes?

Yes! If you need help with how to make filled cupcakes, please see this post. I think any of the below ideas would be phenomenal as a filling in this cupcake recipe.

• Raspberry jam {or your favorite jam flavor}
• White chocolate ganache
• Chocolate ganache
• Cookie butter
• Lemon curd

how to store and freeze

Store these white chocolate cupcakes in an airtight container {I have one like this} at room temperature for 2-3 days. They can also be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but they will be more prone to drying out.

The cupcakes can be frozen with the white chocolate buttercream frosting in an airtight container for 2-3 months. I freeze mine with the buttercream all the time! Allow to defrost at room temperature before serving.

Remember to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram if you make these White Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!

more white chocolate desserts to try

• White Chocolate Brownies
• White Chocolate Cranberry Tart
• Brown Butter Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies
• White Chocolate Pecan Pie
• White Chocolate Chai Brownies

If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating.  I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!