Classic light and fluffy vanilla cupcakes topped with cereal milk buttercream and a sprinkle of crunchy cereal. Any cereal will work here! Feel free to use your favorite.
Distractions are what I feel like we all need right now. We’re all stuck inside with honestly no end in sight. Baking has always been my most favorite distraction. It’s been a way for me to relax and clear my mind for as long as I can remember. Hopefully, being able to whip up a batch of happy little cupcakes with whoever you’re social-distancing with can bring you a feeling of normalcy – even if just for a couple of hours. Let’s do it.
How to Make Vanilla Cereal Milk Cupcakes
Start by Baking the Vanilla Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare 2 cupcake pans with liners. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Stir together the vanilla and buttermilk. Set aside. Whisk together the eggs and egg whites. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, and oil. Put the mixer on medium speed and let it go for about 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary. The mixture will become almost white in color and very fluffy.
Slowly pour in the eggs and mix until combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure everything is getting incorporated. The egg whites tend to try to settle at the bottom of the bowl, so just make sure they’re getting mixed in!
Next, alternate adding the wet and dry ingredients starting and ending with dry. So, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, mix. Then, add 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture, mix. And repeat until everything is incorporated. Don’t over mix. I usually stop the mixer when there are a few streaks of flour remaining, and then fold it all together gently with a rubber spatula.
Use an ice cream scoop to evenly scoop the vanilla cupcake batter into the liners. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes. You want a toothpick to come out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cupcakes cool.
Make the Cereal Milk Buttercream
In a medium sized bowl, add about 1 cup of your favorite cereal. I used Fruity Pebbles. Add 1 cup of cream. Let the cereal soak in the cream, giving the cream that cereal flavor. The cereal will soak up a lot of the cream, which is why we’re using so much. You’ll only need about 1/4 C of it.
While the cereal is soaking. Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter on medium-high speed for 10 minutes. I like to scrape down the sides half way through.
Add the salt and vanilla extract. Mix to combine. Add in half of the powdered sugar, mix for 3 minutes. Then, add the remaining powdered sugar and mix another 3 minutes. Strain the cereal from the cream. Add cream 1 TBSP at a time until the buttercream reaches the consistency you like. I leave mine a bit stiffer when I’m piping cupcakes.
Fit a piping bag with your favorite tip. Here, I used Wilton 8B. Pipe buttercream onto each cupcake and sprinkle with cereal. If you don’t have piping bags or tips, just spread the frosting on each cupcake with an offset spatula or butter knife!
Vanilla Cereal Milk Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 25 min
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 24 Cupcakes 1x
Description
Classic light and fluffy vanilla cupcakes topped with cereal milk buttercream and sprinkled with extra cereal.
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Cupcakes
- 3 C All Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 C Buttermilk
- 2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 3 Lg Eggs + 3 Egg Whites
- 1 C (2 Sticks) Unsalted Butter
- 1 3/4 C Granulated Sugar
- 1/3 C Vegetable Oil
For the Cereal Milk Buttercream
- 1 C Cereal of your choice + more for topping (I used Fruity Pebbles)
- 1 C Heavy Cream
- 1 1/2 C (3 Sticks) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 6 C Powdered Sugar, sifted
Instructions
For the Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350. Prepare 2 cupcake pans with liners.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Stir together the buttermilk and vanilla. Set aside.
- Whisk together the eggs and egg whites. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, and vegetable oil for 3 minutes. Or until lightened in color and fluffy.
- Slowly add in the eggs and mix to combine. Scrape to bowl making sure everything’s getting mixed.
- Alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients, starting and ending with dry. (ie: add 1/3 of flour mixture, mix. Add 1/2 of buttermilk mixture, mix. Repeat.
- Using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter into the cupcake liners.
- Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes. Let cool completely.
For the Cereal Milk Buttercream
- In a small/medium bowl, combine the cereal and the heavy cream. Set aside to let soak.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium high speed for 10 minutes. Scrape down the bowl half way through.
- Add the vanilla and salt, mix to combine.
- Add 1/2 of the powdered sugar, mix for 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining powdered sugar.
- Strain the cereal out of the cream.
- Add cream 1 TBSP at a time until the buttercream reaches your desired consistency. I leave it slightly stiff in order to pipe it onto the cupcakes.
- Fit a piping bag with your favorite tip (I used Wilton 8B here) and pipe the buttercream onto each cupcake. Top with extra cereal.
- Enjou
Notes
Cupcakes will stay fresh on the counter for 1-2 days, or in the fridge up to a week.
Looking for more cupcake recipes? Check out my Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes or this Funfetti Snack Cake makes 12 Cupcakes if you’re looking for a smaller batch!
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