CRANBERRY CUPCAKES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Cranberry Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting image

This recipe creates a light, tender cranberry cupcake--with just a hint of orange--that is then topped with a creamy, buttery white chocolate frosting. It's flavor heaven. You will have leftover frosting, as this recipe makes enough to generously frost 16 cupcakes, at least. Feel free to halve the frosting recipe, if needed.

Provided by Kim

Categories Holidays and Events Recipes Christmas Desserts Cupcakes

Time 1h25m

Yield 12

Number Of Ingredients 18

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup white sugar
1 ½ teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
⅓ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1 cup chopped fresh cranberries
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
6 ounces white chocolate chips (such as Ghirardelli(R) Premium Baking Chips), melted and cooled slightly
¼ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with liners.
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Beat egg whites in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in orange zest and vanilla extract. Add in 1/2 the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Add buttermilk and heavy cream, mixing until just combined. Mix in remaining flour mixture until just combined. Batter will be thick.
Fold 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the batter until incorporated. Fold in remaining egg whites until no streaks of egg white remain. Fold in chopped cranberries. Spoon batter evenly into each prepared cupcake liner, filling each liner about 7/8 full.
Bake in the preheated oven until cupcakes spring back lightly when touched, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the frosting. Beat butter in a bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until completely smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Add powdered sugar and salt, and beat until smooth and well combined, another 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in melted white chocolate and beat until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in heavy cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Beat until frosting is smooth, light, and fluffy, 2 to 3 more minutes.
Frost the cooled cupcakes with the frosting.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 506.7 calories, Carbohydrate 48.4 g, Cholesterol 84.7 mg, Fat 33.7 g, Fiber 0.8 g, Protein 4.4 g, SaturatedFat 21.1 g, Sodium 296.8 mg, Sugar 36.8 g