These soft, light and fluffy high altitude white velvet cupcakes are made with butter, egg whites and real vanilla bean, and frosted with silky vanilla buttercream. Topped with a white chocolate truffle for an elegant finish.
Looking for more high altitude cupcake recipes? Don’t miss these spiced peach vanilla cupcakes, chocolate coconut cupcakes, and key lime pie cupcakes.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Incredibly Soft and Fluffy. My white velvet cake is one of my most popular cake recipes. So I finally tested it as cupcakes, and with a few little adjustments, the batter baked up into the most perfect little white cupcakes. You’ll love the buttery flavor, the specks of vanilla bean, and the fine, soft cake crumb.
Delicious with Any Flavor of Buttercream. There isn’t a flavor you couldn’t pair these white velvet cupcakes with. White chocolate, dark chocolate, vanilla, strawberry – they would all be fantastic.
Easy to Make. This is a simple batter to make, using the standard creaming method. This method lightens the color of the butter and aerates the batter for a very light, fluffy cupcake.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- Butter. Use unsalted, softened butter so you can control the amount of salt in the cake. The butter adds moisture and richness, and when creamed with the sugar, produces a very light, tender cake crumb that’s moist and flavorful.
- Sugar. Granulated sugar sweetens the cake and adds moisture.
- Vanilla Bean Paste. Use a good quality vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract in these cupcakes for the best flavor.
- Egg Whites. The egg whites contain protein and add structure to the cake batter. Using only the whites, rather than the whole egg, helps to keep the cake nice and white.
- Cake Flour. Cake flour has a lower percentage of protein than all-purpose flour, and makes an incredibly light and fluffy cake.
- Baking Powder. Leavens the cake and makes it rise.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Buttermilk. The buttermilk adds a slight tang, and the acidity creates a really beautiful soft and tender cake crumb in white velvet cake.
TIP: Be sure your cupcake ingredients are at room temperature for the best results. If they are too cold, the batter won’t come together properly.
Buttercream
- Butter. Again, I use unsalted butter in my buttercream, and then add a bit of salt.
- Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the buttercream.
- Meringue Powder. Adds stability and improves the texture.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Vanilla Bean Paste or Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Milk or Cream. Use as needed to thin the buttercream to desired consistency for piping.
- White Chocolate Truffles. Totally optional, but a rich and creamy white chocolate truffle on top of these cupcakes looks elegant and decadent.
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and line standard-sized muffin pans with 20 paper liners. Lightly spray the liners with non-stick baking spray.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla bean paste on medium speed for 10 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally when the mixture is sticking to the sides of the bowl.
- Beat in the egg whites, one at a time, beating each for 10 seconds before adding the next. Scrape the bowl down and beat for 10 more seconds.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour. Use a whisk to give the batter a good whisk for 5-10 seconds and mix in any lumps of flour.
- Use a scant 1/4 cup measuring cup to fill the cups no more than 2/3 full. You do not want to over-fill the cups, or the top edges of the cupcakes will spill over and form crusty brown edges.
- Bake the cupcakes on the center oven rack for about 15-16 minutes, just until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then gently transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt and mix until combined.
- Add the vanilla and milk, increase the speed to medium high and whip for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally, until very light and fluffy. Turn the speed down to “stir” and mix for 2 minutes to get rid of air bubbles.
- Fit a piping bag with tip 2D or 1M, fill with buttercream, and pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes. Top each with a white chocolate truffle.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I use instead of the buttermilk?
If you’re not able to get buttermilk, you can make your own sour milk. For every 1 cup of buttermilk, combine 1 cup whole milk with 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar, and let sit for a few minutes to curdle.
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour?
You can, but your cupcakes won’t be as light. You really should use cake flour (which has a lower percentage of protein) for white cake and vanilla cake, making them as soft and fluffy as possible.
Why do you spray the paper liners?
Egg white-based cakes can be a bit stickier than other cakes, and the cupcakes can stick to the papers if you don’t spray them with non-stick baking spray.
Will these white velvet cupcakes work as a layer cake?
Yes, you can get those instructions in this post.
What kind of truffles did you add on top?
I topped my cupcakes with Lindt white chocolate truffles. I also love using Raffaello truffles on top of cakes and cupcakes.
TIP: For many more FAQs about this recipe, see my original white velvet cake post.
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High Altitude White Velvet Cupcakes
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 3 egg whites, room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups cake flour, spooned and leveled, then sifted
- 1 ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 ¼ cups whole buttermilk, room temperature
Buttercream
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp meringue powder (optional)
- â…› tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1-2 tbsp milk or cream, only if needed
- 20 white chocolate truffles, optional
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and line standard-sized muffin pans with 20 paper liners. Lightly spray the liners with non-stick baking spray.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla bean paste on medium speed for 10 minutes (#6 on Kitchen Aid stand mixer), scraping the bowl occasionally when the mixture is sticking to the sides of the bowl.
- Beat in the egg whites, one at a time, beating each for 10 seconds before adding the next. Scrape the bowl down and beat for 10 more seconds.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour. Use a whisk to give the batter a good whisk for 5-10 seconds and mix in any lumps of flour.
- Use a scant 1/4 cup measuring cup to fill the cups no more than 2/3 full.You do not want to over-fill the cups, or the top edges of the cupcakes will spill over and form crusty brown edges.
- Bake the cupcakes on the center oven rack for about 15-16 minutes, just until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then gently transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt and mix until combined.
- Add the vanilla and milk, increase the speed to medium high and whip for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally, until very light and fluffy. Turn the speed down to "stir" and mix for 2 minutes to get rid of air bubbles.
- Fit a piping bag with tip 2D or 1M, fill with buttercream, and pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes. Top each with a white chocolate truffle.
Hi the cupcakes look sooo goooood. I just had a question. Can we use it in lower altitudes as is or should I make any changes?
Amita, please see my FAQs for information about adjusting recipes for various altitudes. You may need to reduce the flour by a few tablespoons and increase the leavening.
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/baking-faqs/
The cupcakes look so good. I have been wanting to make them, but I wanted to know if there was a way to keep them longer than 2 days? Will refrigerating help, or will that just dry them out? Thank you
Unfortunately, cupcakes seem to dry out much faster than layer cakes. You could freeze them as soon as they’re cooled, which will keep them fresh much longer, until you’re ready to frost and serve them. Some people like to brush cakes or cupcakes with simple syrup to add moisture, but personally I don’t care for this technique as it makes them sweeter, and adds a strange texture.
Would you recommend the Watkins vanilla bean paste?
I haven’t tried that brand. For vanilla bean paste, I usually use Rodelle, Nielsen Massey (which I can usually buy for cheaper at Home Goods), or Mexican vanilla bean paste that I buy on Amazon.
I am looking to make these cupcakes. Is it possible to use powdered egg whites rather than fresh egg whites? I have to make a lot of these and I don’t want a freezer full of egg yolks.
I haven’t baked with powdered egg whites, so I couldn’t say for sure.
This is one of my favorite recipes of yours! Question though; is that a typo in the buttercream ingredients? From what I’ve seen, your go-to butter to powdered sugar ratio is 1:2. Above it says 3 cups of butter and 3 cups of powdered sugar. Thanks in advance
That was a typo, thanks so much for letting me know!
I made this exactly according to the recipe. I live at 6500ft. I ended up dividing the batter into 24 cupcakes instead of 20 to make 2/3 full. The cups overflowed a tiny bit, but shrank back as they cooled, then fell in the middle. Not what I was going for. They were so delicate it was hard to get them out of the tins without smashing them. The wrappers stuck, the cake was light and crumbly. Good flavor, but really spongy texture. Will not work for my 3 year old’s birthday party, but will work for a bowl amd spoon dessert.
I’m so sorry this one didn’t work for you! Since you’re more than 1,000 feet higher than me, you may need to make some adjustments for the increased altitude. Please see my FAQs for helpful tips:
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/baking-faqs/
You may also need to lightly spray the paper liners with non-stick baking spray – sticky cupcakes is a common issue at high altitudes, since the sugar becomes more caramelized than at lower altitudes.