Graduation Cupcakes
Grab some chocolate squares and Rolos or Reeses candy, and bake and decorate these congratulatory Graduation Cupcakes!
Servings: 24 cupcakes
Calories: 310kcal
Equipment
- 2 Cupcake pans (24 cups total)
- small piping bag + small round tip (to decorate graduation hat toppers)
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour (350g)
- 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar (450g)
- 1 ¼ cup cocoa powder (100g)
- 1 tsp baking soda (5g)
- ¾ tsp salt (4g)
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks/250g; softened)
- 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk (350mL)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese (one package; softened)
- 1 cup unsalted butter (two sticks, softened)
- 5 ½ -6 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons frosting whitener (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup Rainbow jimmies sprinkles (optional; for confetti frosting)
- Gel color of your choice (optional; to color frosting for cupcake toppers)
Decorations
- 24 mini Reese’s cups or Rolos (or any small cylindrical chocolate candy)
- 24 chocolate squares (we used Ghiradelli; chocolate of your choice!)
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat an oven to 350℉ (180℃). Line cupcake pans with liners.
- Mix together dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt) in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle (or hand mixer or whisk) until well combined. Add in bits of softened butter, mixing until no lumps of butter are visible and the mixture looks crumbly.
- Whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and mix until no dry ingredients are visible. Scrape down the bowl and beat for another 20 seconds.
- Fill each liner ⅔ full (using a large cookie scoop to transfer the batter makes this a quick and easy process).
- Bake for 20-25 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow them to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired. (Waiting until the cupcakes are cool ensures your frosting won't melt!)
Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in 5 cups of powdered sugar until frosting reaches a pipeable consistency. Remove about ½ cup of frosting into another bowl to color and use for piping the cupcake tassels.
- Continue beating, adding the rest of the powdered sugar alternating with whitener and flavoring (+ 1-2 T of milk if needed) until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. Add salt and beat until well combined.
Decorating
- When your cupcakes have cooled completely, decorate with frosting - I piped circles onto silicone mats and then pressed the cupcakes into them for flat tops, but this is optional.
- Color your reserved frosting the color of your choice – I went with blue for the graduate's school colors for the cupcakes in the photos.
- Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe a small line from the center of each chocolate square toward the edge with a few lines at the end to resemble a tassel.
- Use a small dab of frosting to adhere a Rolo caramel or Reese’s cup to the bottom of each chocolate square. Transfer graduation hat toppers to the tops of your cupcakes! High-five your graduate - and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 2.4g | Fat: 19g