Almond Cupcakes

For a simple and elegant cupcake choice, almond cupcakes are the way to go. Light and airy and bathed in almond-flavoured sugar syrup, these little cakes stay moist for days. Top them off with some almond buttercream and you have a dessert to be proud of!

Although the cupcake craze might be over, for now, I don’t think we can ever truly say that the cupcake goes out of style. When there’s a display of cupcakes on a table, you instantly feel that this is an event!

Jump to:

• What to Expect from this Recipe
• 📋 Ingredients
•  🥣 Instructions
• 🧁 Decorating Suggestions
• 💭 Helpful Tips
• 🙋Frequently Asked Questions
• Storage
• Almond Cupcakes

I adapted this recipe from the ‘White Amaretto Cupcakes’ recipe from Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery by Martha Swift and Lisa Thomas (Kyle Books, 2010). I like how the original recipe calls for dipping the tops of the cupcakes in a sugar syrup lightly flavoured with amaretto. It adds a subtle almond flavour and moisture to the cakes.

If you’re serving these to kids, or don’t want to have to buy a bottle of Amaretto just for this recipe, then you can easily substitute almond extract in the sugar syrup. The results will taste just as good!

This recipe is easy to customize by trying different frostings to suit your mood. Vanilla almond buttercream frosting is usually my choice but my chocolate sour cream frosting would also be an amazing option.

What to Expect from this Recipe

• Light as air. These almond cupcakes have a slight crisp on the outside and are so light and fluffy on the inside thanks to the eggs and baking powder.
• Almond flavour. The tops of the cupcakes have a quick bath in an almond-flavoured sugar syrup giving them a delicious sweet almond flavour. If almond flavour is your thing, then you also have to check out my almond croissant cookies.
• Moist crumb. The cupcakes stay moist for days which is great for making them ahead.

📋 Ingredients

The full list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

• Baking powder: This powder gives the cupcakes a light and airy texture. Make sure your baking powder is still active! Add half a teaspoon to a bowl of hot water and see if the powder fizzes. If you don’t see any fizzing action, you know it’s time to replace your baking powder.
• Almond extract: A little goes a long way with this flavouring. You can usually find it beside the vanilla extract, and you use it basically in the same way.
• Amaretto: This is a sweet Italian liqueur that is made from either bitter almond oil or apricot kernel and has an almond-like flavouring. If you’d prefer to skip the alcohol, simply swap it out for almond extract.

Let’s move on to see how we make these sweet little cupcakes!

 🥣 Instructions

An hour before you begin, remove the butter, eggs and milk from the fridge and leave them on the counter to come to room temperature. This step is important as room temperature ingredients will make sure your batter is nice and smooth!

1. Cream: Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy. This usually takes longer than you think it will. I do it for about 5 minutes.
2. Add eggs: Add the eggs one at a time and continue mixing until everything is combined. Remember to stop occasionally and scrape down the sides of your bowl to make sure that all of the ingredients are incorporated.
3. Alternate flour and milk: Add one-third of the flour and continue to mix, then pour in half the milk. Repeat by alternating the addition of flour and milk until you’ve added everything. Just mix the batter until the last of the flour is incorporated and your batter is smooth.
4. Bake: Fill your cupcake liners two-thirds full and bake until the cupcakes are golden brown on top and when you insert a toothpick into the centre, it comes out clean without any wet crumbs clinging to it.
5. Dip: The last step is to dip the tops of the warm cupcakes into the amaretto/almond sugar syrup.

Hint: Dip the cupcakes when they are still warm. They’ll absorb more of the delicious sweet almond syrup.

🧁 Decorating Suggestions

I kept it simple with these almond cupcakes by swirling on a dollop of almond buttercream frosting using just a small offset spatula. I kept the buttercream on the softer side because that’s my personal preference, but if you’d prefer to pipe on your buttercream, just be sure to make a thicker frosting.

You could also decorate with a simple glaze of icing sugar and milk or for an even lighter topping, try some fresh whipped cream.

💭 Helpful Tips

• Start with room temperature ingredients. Allow the eggs, milk, and butter to come to room temperature before you start mixing. This will ensure a smooth batter.
• Don’t overfill cupcake liners. Any more than ¾ full and the liners could overflow as the batter rises.
• Mix lightly. Be careful not to overmix the batter or your cupcakes could turn out dense.

🙋Frequently Asked Questions

Storage

Unfrosted cupcakes: Keep them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The cupcakes will become somewhat sticky on the top when they are stored, so make sure the container is tall enough, so the lid doesn’t touch the top of your cupcake domes. You don’t want to tear off the top of the cupcakes when you remove the lid.

Also, don’t stack the cupcakes on top of one another when you’re storing them as they could stick together and the tops could tear when you separate them.

Frosted cupcakes: If you’re frosting with buttercream, they can be kept at room temperature for up to 4 days in an airtight container.

Did you bake these easy almond cupcakes? Leave a rating and a comment and let everyone know how they turned out! Also, share your photos on Instagram: #bakersbookshelf