Birthday cake cupcakes with sprinkles. A small batch cupcake recipe for birthday cupcakes for celebrating a kids birthday party, or gifting a friend or coworker on their special day! This recipe for 4 cupcakes will come in handy!
The other day, my daughter and I were invited to a low-key birthday celebration for one of her friends from school. It wasn't the typical birthday party with a huge cake and formal setting; it was a fun, relaxing play date. Can I admit that these are the only kinds of kids birthday parties I like to attend?
Even though the party was low-key, I still felt like sprinkles needed to be involved in some way. So, I altered my recipe for wedding cake cupcakes to become birthday cake cupcakes with sprinkles. In order to make the cupcakes have a softer texture more similar to cake mix, I use oil instead of butter.
The resulting birthday cake cupcakes recipe is so good, that I just might make these weekly!
While a small batch of cupcakes is perfect for a kids birthday party, they're also a great gift for a friend on their birthday. A small plate of 4 cupcakes is so thoughtful to give to someone on their birthday. If they share a cupcake with you, even better, but it's their day!
Learning how to make birthday cupcakes at home is a skill that will make you lots of friends in life!
I love that this small batch recipe of cupcakes only makes 4 because kids don't really need that much sugar on their birthdays. I actually waited to give Camille refined sugar until she was 2 years old. As much as I would have liked to give Camille these, I opted for my refined-sugar free maple syrup cupcake recipe instead as her first birthday cupcakes! (Yep, I'm one of those moms!)
But now that she's well beyond that stage, I know she's going to ask for these best birthday cupcakes for her next birthday!
These aren't just for kids, though! It's a great birthday cupcakes recipe for adults, too! You can even leave out the sprinkles and make plain small batch vanilla cupcakes, if you want. (But honestly, who doesn't love confetti cupcakes?)
Birthday cake cupcakes tips & tricks:
-use oil instead of butter for soft, moist cupcakes
-full-fat sour cream is best, but you can use Greek yogurt
-since we're small batch baking, I tend to lose count of 6 tablespoons of flour, so I space the scoops out in the batter to help me keep track (see photo above).
-2 full tablespoons of sprinkles is perfect for a recipe for 4 cupcakes. Plus, extra sprinkles in the frosting, too!
We should talk about this buttercream frosting. It's soft enough to be piped in a piping bag (I always use these disposable piping bags to make for easy clean-up), but you can also use a knife to swirl it on top of the cupcakes instead.
I used a large 8B open star tip from Wilton to make the swirls of frosting. Start in the center of the cupcake, go around the edge, and then repeat while pulling up to make a pretty pile.
Piping pretty frosting takes practice, so don't be afraid to scrape it off the cupcake back in the bag and start again!
If you make these cute birthday cupcakes, let me know! I'd love to see them! Other cupcakes you might love are my funfetti cupcakes recipe (slightly different than these because they're more like angel food cake), and my red velvet cupcakes. If you need something richer, my tiramisu cupcakes or Boston Cream Pie cupcakes are going to be your favorite!
Birthday Cake Cupcakes
Birthday cake cupcakes--small batch recipe makes 4 cupcakes.
Ingredients
For the birthday cake cupcakes:
- ¼ cup neutral oil (like canola or grapeseed)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg white
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- big pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons of sprinkles
For the frosting:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon sprinkles, plus extra for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350, and line four cups in a muffin pan with paper liners.
- First, make the cupcakes: In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, almond and vanilla extracts. Whisk until very well combined.
- Add the egg white and sour cream, and whisk until combined.
- Finally, sprinkle the flour, baking powder, salt and sprinkles evenly over the batter, and then stir until just combined.
- Divide the batter between the cupcake liners, and bake on the middle rack for 17-20 minutes. When done, the tops will spring back, and a toothpick inserted will come out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool.
- To make the frosting: beat the butter in a small bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of the cream and the vanilla extract. Beat until very light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add more cream, if necessary. Stir in the sprinkles.
- Scrape the frosting into a piping bag fitting with a large open star tip (I used a Wilton 8B). Pipe swirls of frosting, and decorate with extra sprinkles.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 529Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 119mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 0gSugar: 45gProtein: 3g
Kelly says
I made these for my 4 year old’s birthday and we loved them! Her brother turns 1 next week and I’m looking to make a smash cake for him. Do you think this would work as one cake instead of being broken up into 4 cupcakes?
Christina Lane says
Yes it does :) Use a 6"cake pan :)
Michelle says
If I want to make these without taking a trip to the store. Could I use buttermilk instead of sour cream? I just mix up my own buttermilk with milk and vinegar.
Christina Lane says
Yes :) Either works!
Courtney says
My 3 year old daughter and i made these and my husband said they were the best cupcakes hes ever had! I have to agree, however 4 cupcakes go pretty quickly! Do you happen to have a recipe for a full batch?!
Thanks, Courtney pettit
Kelly says
My 6 year old and I just put these in the oven. It's perfect for the limited flour we have right now, but the unlimited sweet tooth we all have! Thanks!
Danielle says
Will the homemade buttermilk give the same flavor and texture as the sour cream?? Or will it be too much liquid??
I don't have any sour cream at the moment
Stephanie says
Hello how can I make more of these? Do I triple the recipe? Just seems like it would be way too much oil etc...
Vanessa says
Hi Christina. This is the 3rd recipe I’ve made from your website and all 3 have been a success and taste amazing. I’ve made the chocolate banana muffins, small batch oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and these birthday cupcakes as my son asked me for his birthday yesterday. I’m in love with these cupcakes because they taste so good. My next attempt will be the quarter sheet cake. Thank you so much for providing us with these goodies.
Stacey says
Can I triple this to make a dozen ? :)
Christina Lane says
I think so :) I've doubled it successfully!
Leigh says
When I poured the sprinkles in, it turned the batter a Frankenstein-y greenish/grey. I used good-quality sprinkles...but certainly didn’t know they “bled...”
How can I prevent that next time?
Christina Lane says
Oh, this happened to me one time when I used the tiny ball sprinkles, called nonpareils! If you still have leftover sprinkles (and they're the rods not the balls), try coating lightly in flour before stirring them in next time.
May says
If I double the recipe can I just use the whole egg instead of only the egg white? Or should I only use the egg whites for two eggs?
Christina Lane says
Double the recipe exactly...two egg whites, no yolks :)