A vanilla cupcake recipe with buttercream flavored with tart crushed Smarties (Rockets) candy.
Crushed Smarties in the Frosting
The idea for these cupcakes came from a bag of Smarties candies, also known as Rockets. If you are not familiar with them, Smarties are a tart candy tablet that comes in fruit flavors and is not to be confused with chocolate Smarties that are sold outside the U.S. and are similar to M&Ms.
For the buttercream in this recipe, I crushed the little candy discs into a powder and then added it to the frosting. Then I added vanilla extract, lemon zest, and a little lemon extract to the buttercream. The tartness of the candy worked well in the frosting and the lemon enhanced its flavor.
Vanilla Cupcakes
I used this buttercream with vanilla cupcakes that are fluffy and soft. This is one of my favorite recipes for cupcakes, and I got it from the baking book calledย Cake Confidence. One of my favorite things about this recipe is that you don’t have to use a mixer to mix up the cupcakes, so there are no worries about over-beating the batter.
Mix the Wet Ingredients
Add the wet ingredients to a bowl and whisk. At first, it will look lumpy because of the sour cream. Just keep whisking until the mixture is very smooth.
Mix Dry Ingredients Separately
Mix the dry ingredients together and then sift them into the wet ingredients. Sifting breaks up the lumps in the dry ingredients, so you don’t need a mixer to smooth the batter. If you don’t have a sifter, use a wire strainer with a fine mesh. Then use a large spoon or small whisk to “stir” the ingredients to pass them through the strainer’s wire mesh. Then discard any pieces that won’t pass through the strainer.
Add Batter to the Cupcake Cups
After the dry ingredients are sifted, stir the batter until the dry ingredients are moistened but not over-stirred. There may be a few lumps, but that is okay. Then place the batter into the baking cups or liners.
Fill the Cups Half to 2/3 Full
Fill the cups about half to two-thirds full. The batter will be thick. These baking cups (from My Mind’s Eye) can stand alone on a cookie sheet and don’t need greasing or a muffin pan for cooking. They are larger than regular cupcake papers, so the recipe will fill about 12. However, if you use regular-sized cupcake liners, divide the batter between 24 liners.
However, using regular cupcake liners, the recipe will make 24 cupcakes. You can also bake the cupcakes in the liners and sit them in the decorative baking cups after they are baked.
Decorate with Smarties
Once the cupcakes are frosted, add a few Smarties to the tops for decoration. Enjoy!
Other Cupcakes You Might Like
If you like these cupcakes, here are some others you might enjoy:
- Charming and Easy Cupcakes (pumpkins)
- Strawberry Cupcakes
- Candy Corn Cupcakes
- Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes
- Peppermint Cupcakes
| Prep Time | 35 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20-25 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 2/3 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 15-16-ounce box white cake mix
- stand alone baking cups or cupcake liners (See notes for baking cup sources.)
- 3 sticks salted butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup Smarties candy, crushed to a powder (also known as Rockets)
- 4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
- 5 cups powdered (icing) sugar
- 1 Piping bag
- 1 Large star tip
Ingredients
Cupcakes
Buttercream Frosting
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- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Place baking cups on a baking sheet or cupcake liners in a muffin pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla, eggs, and vegetable oil until smooth. Then sift in the cake mix and stir until smooth but not overmixed. Do not skip sifting the cake mix or the batter will be lumpy.
- Using a cookie scoop, place the cake batter into the baking cups, filling them 1/2 to 2/3 full. Do not grease the cups. (See the note below for baking cup sources.)
- For baking cups, bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cupcakes are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean or with crumbs. Do not overbake. After 5 minutes, move the cupcakes to a cooling rack. Cool before frosting. (If using regular-sized cupcake liners in a muffin pan, bake for 17 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with crumbs.)
- Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, vanilla, lemon extract, and lemon zest until creamy.
- Place the Smarties in a plastic zippered bag and use a rolling pin or meat mallet to crush the candy until all large pieces are broken and crushed. Note: This candy doesn't crush well in an electric chopper. If there are smaller pieces that aren't crushed as fine, it is okay to use them in the frosting.
- Add the smarties and 4 tablespoons of the cream to the butter and beat until mixed. Then add the powdered sugar a cup at a time, beating between each addition. If the frosting is too stiff, add more cream. If too soft, add more sugar.
- Use a piping bag and large star tip to pipe frosting onto the cupcakes. Make a circle of frosting around the outside of the cupcake top and continue circling moving in closer to the middle with each circle. This will make the frosting taller in the middle of the cupcake.
- Decorate the cupcakes with extra Smarties by sprinkling a few on top of each.
Yield
- Stand-alone baking cups:ย 12 cupcakes
- Regular-sized cupcake liners in a muffin pan:ย 20-24 cupcakes
The cupcakes in the photos are shown in stand-alone baking cups. Click here for stand-alone baking cups from My Mind's Eye. Baking cups can also be found at Home Goods.ย For other sources, search "stand alone baking cups" on the internet. Click here for a source for Smarties candy. Other candy such as Sweet Tarts can be crushed and substituted for Smarties; however, the taste will be a little different. ย