Cranberry Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream

Happy *early* cupcake day! Our group is a bit early to the party because National Cupcake Day is not until December 15th, but what better way to give inspiration than to round up a bunch of bloggers and let them free with any concoction they can think of!? 

In my house cupcakes are not a common thing to come from my oven, but each time I make them I wonder to myself why I do not do it more often (I actually know why- so I don't eat them all!). There were n boundaries for this challenge and it was fun to come up with a perfect combination. I wanted to step outside the box with a "non-traditional" flavor and try to find something festive for the holidays. When I came across this recipe for cranberry cupcakes and Food and Wine's recipe for white chocolate buttercream I knew I had found a delicious marriage for our challenge. I slightly adapted the recipe for the cupcakes, but kept true to the buttercream recipe, but slightly reduced the amount of white chocolate in the frosting.because I felt is was almost a little too sweet in my test batch.  These cupcakes were so delicious and moist, and the buttercream was light, fluffy with a bit of richness from the chocolate. I wished that the cupcakes held the cranberry color a little more during the baking, but I opted to use whole berry cranberry sauce and it added a few pops of color. These cupcakes look perfect on a holiday table and, since cranberries are a Wisconsin staple, are in season and delicious in our area this time of year.

Looking for a little cupcake inspiration? Check out my fellow bloggers contributions! Happy baking!

Hot Cocoa Cupcakes by The Redhead Baker
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes by The Cooking Actress
Vanilla Candy Cane Cupcakes by Noshing With The Nolands
Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Nerds Cupcakes by Amy's Confectionery Adventures
Vegan Midori Melon Cupcakes by NinjaBaker
Chocolate Bourbon Cupcakes with Candied Butter Pecan Frosting by From Gate to Plate
Dark Chocolate Rum Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream by Lemony Thyme
Gingerbread cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting by Eva Bakes
Cranberry Apple Cupcakes by The Pajama Chef
Almond Joy Cupcakes by Our Eating Habits
Buttered Rum Cupcakes by Adventures in All Things Food
Maple Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting by Karen's Kitchen Stories
Cone Head Cupcakes with Ice Cream Frosting by The Spiffy Cookie
Candied Buddha's Hand-Eggnog Cupcakes by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Almond Joy Cupcakes by Food Lust People Love
Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting by Sew You Think You Can Cook
Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting for 2 by Kate's Recipe Box
Cranberry Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream by Cheese Curd In Paradise
Peppermint Patty Cupcakes by Comfortably Domestic
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Biscoff Marshmallow Buttercream by Making Miracles
Chocolate Cupcakes with Red Velvet Frosting by {i love} my disorganized life
Lemon Cupcakes by Miss Information
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cupcakes by Kosher Kitchen
Peppermint Cream Cookie Cupcakes by Take a Bite out of Boca
Cupcake Christmas Wreath by Lick the Spoon

Special thanks to Coleen, author of The Red Headed Baker, for organizing our celebration of cupcake day! 

Instructions

for cupcakes: 

1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8  tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 cup sour cream

1/3 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce (I use homemade, but canned is fine)

for frosting: 

2 sticks  unsalted butter, softened

8 oz white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

for cupcakes: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Add cranberry and beat until evenly mixed. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the flour, mixing until just incorporated. Gently beat in the sour cream and  until light and fluffy.

Divide the batter among the liners. Bake until 22-24  minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool prior to frosting. 

for frosting: 

In a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Beat in the melted white chocolate. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat at medium speed, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl, until light and fluffy. Place frosting into a large resealable bag. Snip off the tip and pipe on to the cupcakes. Garnish with fresh cranberries.