Ever since Molly announced that she was pregnant and we were getting a new addition to the family, there’s been a lot to be excited for. Even more so now that the baby is here. One of the things that keeps coming up is that holidays are so much more fun as a kid, and how having kids lets you re-enter a phase of life where holidays re-gain some childhood magic. These Conversation Heart Mini Cupcakes were based largely on the nostalgia of when these random made-up holidays were days to look forward to, because they were actually fun. And you got candy for them. And you didn’t have to spend any money, or spiral out in the Valentine’s Aisle of Target while looking for sprinkles.
As a kid, Valentine’s meant getting donuts for breakfast, crafting some heart-shaped cards for family, and getting candy from all of your classmates before spending the afternoon having a party instead of class. As soon as middle school, the holiday loses all its shine. By adulthood? All you see is that it just takes up a lot of real estate at the grocery store, and it all shows up way too early.
Conversation hearts are sort of… the worst candy? I don’t even know the last time I had one, but I remember them being pretty chalky, and the messages on them were never centered. I did some recon for this recipe and examined a bag at Target, and they were pretty tragic. Half of the hearts seemed to just say “carbs,” which is just….. *sigh* why?
And yet despite the reality of conversation hearts, they are very much a symbol of Valentine’s Day. Honestly, they do make for good decorations. So the idea for these cupcakes was purely based on trying to capture the aesthetic of them, but make them… actually taste good. I was definitely pushing the limits of my cake decorating abilities with these though. By the time I was figuring out how to pipe the words on, I was very much considering just leaving them as blank hearts.
I considered doing chocolate cupcakes, but I wanted a white base, and the sweetness of classic birthday cake seems fitting for a holiday that is a bit sickly-sweet and candy-centric. It’s not very often that I think of what a baked good will look like before coming up with the recipe/taste, but this was one of those cases. I don’t think I’ll be repeating that strategy, because these were a bit harder to make than they were worth. Dyeing frosting four colors, frosting and letting them harden face down, and then dyeing chocolate to pipe on a very small canvas… It was a process. But they were fun to photograph.
I also was struggling to come up with things to write on the tops of these. They were a very small canvas, and the chocolate I was piping with was thick. And they’re Conversation Hearts, right? They’re supposed to start conversations? And isn’t the start of most conversations just a “hi”? But I couldn’t just write “hi” and “hey” on all of them? I see why the writers for the Target Conversation Hearts resorted to just saying “carbs,” but there has to be more you could write.
Anyways. Whether you want to go all out with decorations, or just leave them as simple as possible, I recommend doing the only thing that makes Valentine’s special as an adult: bake and/or have a dessert!
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PinIngredients
Cake:
- 1 and 1/2 cup flour + 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon CLEAR vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sprinkles
Frosting:
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon CLEAR vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
- food dye, in the colors you want
- white chocolate, to melt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a mini cupcake tray with mini cupcake liners. This can also be done with full-size cupcakes. (you’ll have more real-estate to write on them!)
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed until creamed together, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
- On high speed, beat in the egg whites until combined, then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract.
- Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer to low speed and as the mixer runs, slowly pour in the milk. Beat on low speed just until all of the ingredients are combined. Do not over-mix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick. Gently fold in the sprinkles.
- Pour batter evenly into the prepared cupcake pan.
- Bake for around 15-17 minutes or until the cake is baked through. To test the cake for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. The cake must be completely cool before frosting.
- Make the buttercream: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and clear vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 2 full minutes. Add up to 1/4 cup (30g) more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or a splash of heavy cream if frosting is too thick. Add a pinch of salt if the frosting is too sweet.
- Divide the buttercream up evenly into four bowls, and dye to your desired pastel shades.
- Decorate: Once the mini cupcakes have cooled, use a ziploc or piping bag to frost each cupcake in the shape of a heart. Lay frosting-side down on a parchment-lined baking tray. Once they are all frosted, refrigerate until the frosting is firm and flat on top.
- Melt white chocolate and dye with red food coloring. You can thin it out with a bit of vegetable oil if necessary. Then pipe the white chocolate onto the cupcakes, with whatever phrases you want (and can fit)