Recipes & Cooking Desserts & Baking Cakes Cupcakes 21 of Our Absolute Best Cupcake Recipes From kid-favorite Neapolitan to adults-only Moscow Mule, we have cupcake recipes to suit everyone's sweet tooth. By Katlyn Moncada Katlyn Moncada Katlyn Moncada is the associate food editor at BHG.com, sharing food news and tutorials on becoming better home cooks. She is a writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience in digital media, photography, and video production. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on October 31, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Karla Conrad We love cupcakes, and these are our best cupcake recipes yet. Perfect for sharing, these delicious desserts are going to really impress everyone at your gathering. There are plenty of classics (for instance, vanilla, chocolate, and red velvet), but we're also showcasing our Test Kitchen's most creative cupcake recipes to date—and, as a bonus, frosting recipes are included. 13 Dump Cake Recipes for When You Need an Easy-to-Make Dessert 01 of 21 Fresh Rosemary and Lemon Cupcakes View Recipe Andy Lyons For a double dose of refreshing lemon flavor, look no further than this cupcake recipe. Both the cake and the glaze topping in this rosemary-infused cupcake feature the citrus fruit. Save some lemon zest for an easy garnish. Shaker-Style Meyer Lemon Pie 02 of 21 Cherry-Almond Vanilla Cupcakes View Recipe Blaine Moats This delight is one of our best cupcake recipes for cherry lovers. Pair moist vanilla cake with the irresistible flavors of tart cherries and sweet almonds for a showstopping dessert. Test Kitchen Tip To make ahead, place unfrosted cupcakes in a covered, airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days, or freeze for up to one month. Frost them when you're ready to enjoy. 03 of 21 Pumpkin Cupcakes with Spiced Mascarpone Cream Filling View Recipe Jason Donnelly Reconsider pumpkin beyond the traditional pie. With its smooth texture and warm, mellow flavor, the fall-favorite squash shines in this delicious cupcake recipe. A spiced mascarpone frosting and crystallized ginger add a kick, proving this recipe is worthy of year-round indulgence. 04 of 21 Lavender-Honey Cupcakes View Recipe Kritsada Panichgul When it comes to creative cupcake ideas, this one is a definite winner. Fall in love with this soft and sophisticated lavender confection sweetened with a touch of honey. A simple basketweave piped frosting design provides a professional look. We Tested 23 of the Best Stand Mixers, but Only These 9 Are Worth a Spot on Your Countertop 05 of 21 Mochaccino Cupcakes View Recipe Kritsada Panichgul Get your caffeine fix from dessert. Coffee buttercream makes an irresistible topper for our cinnamon-spiced chocolate cupcake recipe. For a fun "straw" topper, add a créme-filled rolled wafer cookie. 06 of 21 Candied Bacon-Sweet Potato Cupcakes View Recipe Karla Conrad Bacon cupcakes? Stick with us here: Crispy bacon, candied to perfection in a cinnamon-sugar mixture, is a surprising and delicious cupcake topper. The cake is super-moist, thanks to the addition of mashed sweet potatoes. And as if the candied bacon weren't impressive enough, surprise—we've spiked the cream cheese frosting with bourbon. Million Dollar Bacon Is Totally Addictive—And So Easy to Make 07 of 21 Red Velvet Cupcakes View Recipe Andy Lyons Bookmark this red velvet cupcake recipe for anytime you want dessert in in a vibrant color. Don't fail to let your eggs and butter stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before making. This allows your cupcakes (and any cupcake recipe, for that matter) achieve the light, fluffy texture you want. 08 of 21 Orange Cream Pop Cupcakes View Recipe Blaine Moats If orange-vanilla ice cream pops were your favorite ice cream truck order when you were a kid, try this fantastic cupcake recipe. Zesty orange and creamy cheesecake flavors echo the sweet pleasures of summer in this nostalgic treat. We love that to save time, this recipe starts with a boxed cake mix. 09 of 21 Vanilla Bean-Coconut Cupcakes View Recipe Scott Little Toasted coconut flakes and our vanilla-coconut frosting add elegance to a simple vanilla cupcake recipe for a new take on an old favorite. Ground macadamia nuts provide some extra texture and nutty flavor to the batter. Follow These 5 Steps to Convert a Cake Recipe into Cupcakes 10 of 21 Churro Cupcakes View Recipe Jason Donnelly When you're craving a churro but don't want to break out the deep fryer, go for this cupcake recipe that's just as delicious. They might not be as crisp (unless you want to add a crunchy topper), but the recipe features the same cinnamon-sugar flavor you love. 11 of 21 Spiked Raspberry-Lemonade Cupcakes View Recipe Jason Donnelly Take your childhood lemonade stand into adulthood. With raspberry liqueur-spiked frosting, this cupcake recipe makes one refreshing dessert. 12 of 21 Choco-Zucchini Cupcakes View Recipe Jay Wilde The combination of peanut butter frosting and dark chocolate in this cupcake recipe is enhanced with healthy shredded zucchini. As a bonus, the zucchini keeps the cupcakes moist. 13 of 21 Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes View Recipe Scott Little This cupcake recipe is just as amazing as your breakfast favorite but without the need for yeast and proofing time. The sweet filling features an irresistible blend of brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. With more than 100 positive ratings, it might be one of our best cupcake recipes ever created. Our 29 Best Brunch Recipes of All Time 14 of 21 Moscow Mule Cupcakes View Recipe Matthew Clark A surefire way to improve boxed cake mix is to doctor it up with ginger, lime juice, lime zest, and vodka. This cupcake recipe tastes just like a Moscow mule cocktail. 15 of 21 Neapolitan Cupcakes View Recipe Blaine Moats If you have so much trouble picking just one flavor of ice cream that you continually fall back on Neapolitan, this cupcake recipe is for you. To achieve that classic three-flavor combination, we've added vanilla, cocoa powder, and strawberry preserves to a white cake mix. Neapolitan Marshmallow Treats 16 of 21 Peanut-Butter Chocolate Twist Cupcakes View Recipe Blaine Moats Ah, chocolate and peanut butter. Here, the classic combination comes together in a peanut butter cupcake recipe base topped with a creamy swirl of frosting rich in chocolate and peanut butter. Top it all with a peanut butter cup for an adorable (and delicious) finish. 17 of 21 Root Beer Float Cupcakes View Recipe Blaine Moats This creative cupcake recipe turns your favorite soda into a dessert. Root beer goes right into the batter to give it that rich signature flavor. The float frosting whips together vanilla ice cream, butter, and sugar for a genuinely authentic soda-shop taste. 18 of 21 Pineapple-Carrot Cupcakes View Recipe Scott Little You'll get some serious carrot cake taste from this delicious cupcake recipe. The batter features shredded carrots (buy them pre-shredded to save you prep time) and crushed pineapple. A rich cream cheese frosting serves as the topping for these moist cupcakes. 19 of 21 Lemon-Poppyseed Cupcakes View Recipe Jason Donnelly Simple yet elegant, these tender desserts take the cake. Mirror the zesty flavor in these treats with a light lemon glaze and lemon peel garnish. It'll pair perfectly with your cup of afternoon tea. 20 of 21 Triple-Chocolate Cupcakes View Recipe Blaine Moats Perfect for the chocolate lovers in the family, this indulgent cupcake recipe includes not just one but three hits of chocolate. Each cupcake is laced with chocolate liqueur and bittersweet chocolate and topped with pillows of dark chocolate-butter frosting. 12 Healthy Chocolate Desserts to Satisfy Your Sugar Cravings 21 of 21 Island Bananas Foster Cupcakes View Recipe Kritsada Panichgul Bananas Foster is a decadent dessert made from bananas and a dark sauce made of sugar, cinnamon, and rum. Here, those flavors are transformed into a showstopping cupcake recipe. We added coconut to the batter to give them some tropical flair. Cakes You'll Love to Bake Cupcakes are fun, of course, but for big occasions, there's nothing as impressive as a homemade cake to slice into, whether you're celebrating a birthday, an anniversary, or another special occasion. Some of our favorite cake recipes are more than a classic chocolate or vanilla. Pink Lemonade Cake is the perfect choice for a Mother's Day brunch, especially since Mom doesn't have to bake it! Restricted eating plans may keep sugar off your plate, but that doesn't mean you can't make a chocolate cake. This No-Added-Sugar Rich Chocolate Cake gets its sweetness from prunes and unsweetened applesauce. This Peaches & Cream Prosecco Cake is an adults-only indulgence that tastes like summer. No time to bake? No problem. Our S'mores Icebox Cake takes just 20 minutes in the freezer to be ready to serve, and it's unbelievably delicious. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit