Easy, Bright Sprinkles Cupcakes - The Little Holly That Could

A cut cupcake to show the sprinkles on the inside of the cake.

What is it about sprinkles that are so exciting?!

Maybe it's the nostalgia of childhood birthday parties?

Or maybe it's all the bright cheery colors?

Or maybe it's the touch of whimsy on something so delicious?

Whatever it is, I'm here for it, especially with these cupcakes!

Soft, moist cupcakes with bright pops of color throughout topped with creamy, smooth vanilla buttercream and, of course, more sprinkles.

You might be shocked to see sour cream or Greek yogurt in cake right? That's definitely different than the eggs, flour, and butter of typical cakes. But the sour cream actually adds so much to this cake. It adds a ton of moisture without affecting the liquids of the cake. It's a pretty magical ingredient because it takes this cake from just a vanilla cake to a really good vanilla cake.

Another thing that might shock you is the sugar content. Rest assured, these are not overly sweet but in fact the perfect amount of sugar. You have to keep in mind that these make 24 cupcakes. Which is like a heaping tablespoon per cupcake (if my sugar to cupcake ratio math is correct). There's also a large amount of tang from the sour cream which helps the sugar balance out.

If you don't have sour cream, Greek yogurt is the perfect substitution. I've used both and have never been able to tell a difference.

Recipe note: I know 5-7 minutes seems shocking. But when I tell you this is the fluffiest, creamiest frosting I have ever made, I'm not lying. Whipping the buttercream for so long takes the frosting to the next level.

A cupcake sitting in a bunch of cupcakes with sprinkles on top.

Ingredients:

2 and ½ cups of flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

½ teaspoon of baking soda

A dash of salt

2 sticks of room temperature butter

2 cups of sugar

3 eggs

1 cup of light sour cream/Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 cup of milk

½ cup of sprinkles

Frosting:

2 sticks of room temperature butter

2 cups of powdered sugar

1 tablespoon of milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the 2 sticks of room temperature butter and the sugar. Mix until the butter turns into a light yellow color and the sugar is fully incorporated.

Then, add in the eggs, one at a time.

Once the eggs have been fully mixed into the batter, add in the sour cream.

In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together.

In a measuring cup, add the milk and the vanilla extract.

With the stand mixer on low, add the flour mixture a little bit at a time, alternating with the milk. You want to start with the dry and finish with the wet.

Using a large cookie scoop or a large spoon, fill the cupcake liners until about ⅔'s of the way full.

Bake in the oven for about 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.

While the cupcakes cool, gather the ingredients to make the frosting!

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter for about 2 minutes before adding in the powdered sugar.

Add the powdered sugar about ⅓ of a cup at a time. Add in milk and extract.

Beat on high for about 5-7 minutes.

Add the frosting to a piping bag with a star tip attached. Start in the middle of the cupcake and then slowly swirl the cupcake around the top of the cupcake before going on top of the frosting to create a swirled mountain of frosting!