Happy Birthday Cupcakes
Here is a very happy post! One that I hope will inspire you to make these gorgeous Happy Birthday Cupcakes. They look like a celebration at just one glance! They also can be made for anyone, young or old would love you for them.
Vanilla cupcakes are my daughter’s favorite. Amber was the one to make these gorgeous cupcakes for my birthday and to share with you all here!
I just adore the color of icing she selected. It is a gorgeous blue and I know you all want to dive right into them. The cupcakes themselves are moist and delicious with a little added sour cream.
The buttercream frosting is perfection. If you want to mound it up high like you see here, you can double the recipe easily. Otherwise there is enough icing for a generous but more conservative amount for each.
Not only do I love sprinkles on the outside but all the way through!! We used jimmies for the interior, they are the longer sprinkles you see around. Your local craft store should be able to provide you with a great selection but there are also more online.
These cupcakes are a take off of our very popular Vanilla Candy Cane Cupcakes that so many of you have loved for the holidays!! With a few tweaks Amber has transformed them into gorgeous birthday cupcakes. These would also be so pretty for other occasions too like a bridal or baby shower, anniversary, Easter and more!
Happy Birthday Cupcakes Recipe
- ¾ cup butter, softened
- 1½ cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup milk
- 2½ cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ cup jimmies (sprinkles)
- Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 3 cups icing sugar or confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
- 4 Tbsp. half and half cream
- Blue Food Colouring
- Round sprinkles or jimmies for the top
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line 18-24 muffin pans with cupcake liners. Cream butter and sugar together until fluffly. Add the eggs one at a time and then beat in vanilla, sour cream and milk. Mix well. In another bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, soda and salt together. Slowly add the flour into the butter mixture and mix until just incorporated. Fold in the sprinkes. Spoon into cupcake liners ⅔ to ¾ full. Bake for 18-20 min. until they bounce back to a light touch and are lightly golden. Let cool on wire racks completely.
- For the icing, cream the butter in a large bowl. Carefully incorporate the icing sugar and the cream and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add more cream if necessary. Color to the desired blue colour and mix well. Place icing in a piping bag with a tip and decorate as desired. I usually use a star tip 21. You don’t have to be fancy. Sprinkle with additional jimmies or sprinkles. Place cupcakes in a covered container until you are ready to eat. Refrigerate, remove from fridge 30 min. before serving. Enjoy!!
- Tip: To mound the icing up high like you see, you will want to double the icing. Otherwise they will have a more conservative amount for each.
cakespy says
February 8, 2017 at 6:07 amthe first word of the title says it all: HAPPY. From birthday to beyond, these cupcakes are bound to make people smile! Perfectly classic.
Jill says
February 8, 2017 at 3:12 pmYummy. Please share what brand of coloring you used to get that great blue. Thank you. Jill
Tara Noland says
February 8, 2017 at 4:38 pmIt was Club House liquid blue food colouring which I believe is a Canadian only brand but she just kept adding until she reached the colour she wanted.
Connie says
February 9, 2017 at 1:01 pmThese look wonderful. I love the blue color, and who doesn’t adore sprinkles?
Aubrey says
February 9, 2017 at 2:09 pmThose are super cute. I can never get my frosting to be piped that pretty.
Robin Rue says
February 9, 2017 at 5:57 pmThese cupcakes look so delicious. My boys would go crazy because they love confetti cupcakes.
Jeni Hawkins says
February 9, 2017 at 5:59 pmI would seriously make these any time. I love these style of cupcakes and that icing looks awesome.
Ann Bacciaglia says
February 9, 2017 at 6:02 pmThese cupcakes will be perfect for my Sisters Birthday. I am in charge of the cake. I am going to give this recipe a trial run this weekend.
Liz Mays says
February 9, 2017 at 7:36 pmMmm, delicious and cute! I think sprinkles on the inside were a good move. These cupcakes sound great.
Dawn McAlexander says
February 9, 2017 at 7:39 pmThese look so pretty! My sister-in-law made some similar to this a while back. They were pretty and good, just not as good as these.
Becky Willis says
February 9, 2017 at 8:20 pmMy granddaughter would love these cupcakes because they would remind her a bit of Elsa. Sprinkles are very popular in our household so they would be appreciated in/on their cupcakes. I also think the color of your frosting is a “happy” color. Your images are awesome also, they make me want to reach into my screen and take one.
lisa says
February 9, 2017 at 9:03 pmI’ts not my birthday until May but I want to celebrate right now so I can eat one of these. Okay, SOME of these because one won’t be enough. 😀
Becky Willis says
February 9, 2017 at 9:23 pmThese cupcakes would be the life of any party with my grandchildren and my great nieces. The colors themselves say “party” and a bit of spring. Also everyone loves sprinkles! So they would be a hit all the way around.
Sarah says
February 9, 2017 at 10:17 pmOh my goodness! How adorable are these!? I totally want to make these for my daughters birthday, she’d love them.
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
February 10, 2017 at 1:48 amHow fun?!! I love the colors of these cupcakes! I wish I can have these for my birthday!!
Randa says
February 13, 2017 at 6:42 amThese sound so yummy and they’re so pretty too! I think they’d be a great way to celebrate the birthday of someone special.
Marcy says
February 14, 2017 at 4:21 pmIs icing sugar powdered sugar???
Tara Noland says
February 14, 2017 at 4:24 pmYes, also known as confectioner’s sugar. I will add that, thank you.
Deirdre says
May 4, 2017 at 2:29 amWhat is half and half cream for the cream on top of the cakes plz is it an American thing maybe we dont have in the UK ? Help me many thanks
Tara Noland says
May 4, 2017 at 7:16 amIt is 10% cream, half milk and half cream is why is is called that.
Janille says
February 18, 2018 at 6:08 pmHi can I save the mixture in the refrigerator for a day or two before baking.
Tara Noland says
February 20, 2018 at 10:30 amFrom googling I would say no, I have never tried though. I don’t think they will rise the same.
Stephanie says
March 23, 2018 at 1:32 pmDo you recommend baking and eating in the same day? I have a little boy turning 2 tomorrow and party is on Sunday! Trying to decide when I should attempt to pull these off. Lol. Thanks.
Tara Noland says
March 23, 2018 at 1:34 pmYou could do them the day before and keep them nice and sealed and they will be great!
Karine says
September 27, 2018 at 11:11 amHi, I’m a huge fan of this recipe, I use it all the time. I have to make a chocolate cake this time, is there anyway I can incorporate Cocoa powder in this recipe?
Tara Noland says
September 27, 2018 at 11:33 amI would say yes, I would add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cocoa and add a couple more tablespoons of sugar to sweeten it up.You could add in another dollop or two of sour cream so it is not dry. Good luck!
Tanis says
January 17, 2019 at 5:59 amThese cupcakes were a hit this past week at my work and my daughters work. One lady even told me she doesn’t like cupcakes but I could definitely make them for her birthday and my husband loved them. My new go to recipe. Thank you for sharing
Tara Noland says
January 17, 2019 at 6:34 amThat is so awesome to hear! Thank you very much for taking the time to tell me!! Happy Baking!!