Cranberry Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting

These fluffy cranberry cupcakes are a festive dessert for the holidays! With a soft vanilla base studded with fresh cranberries and a decadent white chocolate frosting. Vegetarian.

Several Cranberry Cupcakes on plates.

Note: This recipe is NOT dairy free. It was published before Cook Nourish Bliss transitioned to dairy free recipes and remains popular with long time readers. You can try using substitutions to make it dairy free, however I have not tested this myself and can’t say how it will turn out.

Let’s start this week off right.  With lots of sugar.  And butter.  The only way to go this time of the year.  

Because it’s the holiday baking season and I can’t seem to stay out of my kitchen and away from my baking sheets and mixer.

As you can probably tell, I am totally utterly completely in the holiday spirit and have so many fun recipes that I can’t wait to share with you.  

But we’re going to first focus on these cranberry cupcakes with white chocolate frosting.

Fresh Cranberry Cupcakes on white and green plates.

And boy are they good.  My husband called them “exotic” cupcakes … which I found slightly entertaining.  

Although I’m pretty sure he thinks anything that is not vanilla bean is exotic.  Hmmm.

So, these cupcakes.  They are light and fluffy with little burst of tartness from the fresh cranberries.  

And the frosting.  My my the frosting.  It tastes like straight up white chocolate.  In fluffy frosting goodness that compliments the cranberries and orange perfectly.  

It is on the sweeter side so you really don’t need a whole lot on each cupcake.

A Cranberry Cupcake on a white plate.

Additional Cupcake Recipes You Might Enjoy:

Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.

Cranberry Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting | Cookie Monster Cooking

Cranberry Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting

Yield: about 22 cupcakes
Prep Time: 37 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

These fluffy cranberry cupcakes are a festive dessert for the holidays! With a soft vanilla base studded with fresh cranberries and a decadent white chocolate frosting. Vegetarian.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

  • 2 ¼ cups cake flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 ¼ cups fresh cranberries, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

For the frosting:

  • ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 6 ounces good quality white chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature*
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk

Instructions

To make the cupcakes:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line cupcake pans with liners and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In another medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg whites.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the granulated sugar and orange zest. Rub the mixture together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter to the bowl. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until it is very light.
  4. Add in the vanilla and almond extracts and beat until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, add in one third of the flour mixture. Next, add in half of the buttermilk mixture, beating until incorporated. Repeat this process, one third flour mixture, remaining half buttermilk mixture. Finally add in the remaining third of the flour mixture. Once incorporated, increase the speed to medium low and beat for 2 minutes, to ensure it is well aerated.
  5. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Toss together the chopped cranberries and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small bowl. Gently fold the cranberries into the batter.
  6. Fill the prepared cupcake tins evenly with the batter (about ⅔ of the way full).
  7. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting:

  1. Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
  2. Add in the vanilla and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the confectioners’ sugar, about ½ cup at a time, beating after each addition until combined.
  3. Once all the sugar is incorporated, pour in the cooled melted white chocolate. Beat on medium speed until well combined. Add in the milk and beat on medium until the frosting is light and fluffy. If the frosting is not thick enough, slowly add in additional confectioners’ sugar until it reaches your desired consistency.
  4. Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired.

Notes

*Make sure that you use good quality white chocolate, like Ghirardelli or Callebaut. Do not use white chocolate chips or candy melts, etc.

Cupcake base adapted from Baking: From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan. Frosting adapted from How Sweet Eats.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 22 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 327Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 161mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 1gSugar: 38gProtein: 3g

Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.