Vanilla Latte Cupcakes
Vanilla latte cupcakes are my cupcake dreams come true! The best vanilla cupcake soaked in sweetened coffee and frosted with a silky espresso French buttercream.
It’s here, the post you’ve all been waiting for, vanilla latte cupcakes! These cupcakes are definitely in my top 5 favorite that I’ve ever had. I mean I’m a coffee lover so that’s no surprise but these were also a big hit with friends and family too.
What are vanilla latte cupcakes
A few years ago we got a Breville espresso machine so we can spoil ourselves with vanilla lattes on the regular. & since everyone in my family is also obsessed with my vanilla cupcake recipe, I thought I’d combine the two.
So vanilla latte cupcakes use my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe. They get soaked in sweetened coffee and frosted with the silkiest, espresso flavored, French buttercream.
You can also make small batch of these using my small batch cupcake recipe.
How to make the best vanilla cupcakes
Ok. So I still haven’t posted my classic, full batch vanilla cupcake recipe BUT these birthday cake cupcakes and this vanilla latte cupcake uses my vanilla cupcake recipe. I tested this recipe sooooo much (maybe 20 batches?!) so that I could get a perfectly domed, moist and pale vanilla cupcake.
Ingredients:
- Cake flour: I’m not a cake flour fanatic, in fact, my vanilla cake recipe I use all-purpose flour but for these cupcakes, I highly recommend cake flour. If you absolutely can’t get any, you can do the cornstarch swap where you use all-purpose flour, remove 1 Tbsp and replace it with cornstarch. Keep in mind, they may not dome as perfectly.
- HIGHLY recommend a digital kitchen scale to measure flour…for every recipe. Measuring flour inaccurately is probably the number one mistake in baking.
- Baking powder & baking soda: I use both but if you don’t have access to baking soda, you can do 1 ½ tsp of baking powder.
- Salt: brings out flavor and balances sweetness.
- Sugar: I’m going to say this in all my recipes lollllll please don’t take out half of the sugar and then tell me the recipe didn’t work out. Some people think you can remove up to 20% of the sugar without a difference in the results besides sweetness but every recipe is different and this one specifically I don’t recommend removing any sugar.
- Butter & oil: I use both because I like the structure and flavor that butter provides and the tenderness that oil provides. You can use any kind of neutral oil like vegetable, canola, sunflower, etc.
- Eggs: this is one you can change a bit. I have tested this recipe with 1 whole egg and with 2 egg whites. The cupcakes turn out great both ways but if you want a paler cupcake, use the egg whites.
- Milk & sour cream: I tested soooo many ratios of this combination and I tried buttermilk too but this is my favorite variation. If you absolutely can’t find sour cream, I recommend plain yogurt or full fat greek yogurt.
What kind of frosting to use for cupcakes
If you’ve read my cookbook, Frosted, you’ll know that most buttercreams are interchangeable. I usually love a good Swiss meringue buttercream but since I had leftover egg yolks from the cake, I went with a French buttercream. I have a whole post on How To Make French Buttercream so check that out for step-by-step shots.
How to flavor frosting with coffee
So to make this a true vanilla latte, I tried adding real espresso shots to the buttercream. It had a great flavor but it makes the buttercream much softer which isn’t ideal for sitting at room temperature. So I recommend espresso powder dissolved in a tiny bit of water. If you don’t have espresso powder, you can also use instant coffee.
How to store vanilla latte cupcakes
These cupcakes are best served at room temperature and since cupcakes are smaller, they tend to dry out in the refrigerator. I recommend storing them at room temrpature for up to two days. If you make them ahead of time, place them in an airtight container, wrap the container in plastic wrap and freeze them. Bring them back to room temperature before serving. They can be stored in the freezer for up to a couple months.
If you have any questions just comment down below and use the #baranbakery on instagram so I can see them! As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
I just want to take a minute to tell you how amazing this buttercream is. I just finished making these cupcakes for a church event. (Haven’t tasted them yet, but they look delicious!) I ate the leftover buttercream and can confirm that it is filled with literal magic. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Thank you so much, I’m so glad you enjoyed them, they’re one of my favorites!
Made your Vanilla Cupcakes today, and OMG!! By far, the best Vanilla Cupcake I have tasted (I have made and tasted quite a few ?) It is a perfect balance of a light and dense Cupcake, and the flavour is amazing ?
Ahhh SO glad you like them, they are my fav too especially the vanilla latte version! Thank you for trying them and for the review ?
Hi Jules, so glad you like the cupcakes, they my favorite too ?? thank you for sharing ✨