Easy Burnt Almond Cupcakes

Easy burnt almond cupcakes with a buttery yellow cake base, simple almond frosting, and toasted almonds are a delicious spring dessert for Easter and other spring occasions!

This post is sponsored by Bob's Red Mill. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Lively Table running!

Springtime baking is underway, which means it's time to start thinking about Easter dessert! With Easter sneaking up on us so soon and the crazy year that it's been already, I'm thinking something simple and classic. For me, that means Burnt Almond Cupcakes!

Burnt almond cake is a recipe that reminds me of family. It's my aunt's favorite cake, and my mom has made it on many occasions for holidays, birthdays, and family gatherings. So I turned to this old family favorite for inspiration for this year's Easter dessert in the form of cupcakes. While not the same as THE famous burnt almond cake that you may be familiar with, these burnt almond cupcake are understated, yet absolutely delicious, and perfect for gracing your Easter table this year.

Why These Burnt Almond Cupcakes Are The BEST

• Easy is the name of the game with these cupcakes. The buttery yellow cake starts with melted butter and sugar (no waiting for butter to soften forever, and no questioning how long you should cream the butter and sugar). The frosting is a simple, classic white frosting with just 5 ingredients, and the almond topping is one easy ingredient - toasted almonds. You won't need any special equipment other than either a stand mixer or hand mixer.
• These burnt almond cupcakes are simply delicious. They have a rich, buttery flavor from both butter and buttermilk, with the perfect hint of vanilla and almond. The texture is just right  - the perfect balance of moist, fluffy, and ever so slightly dense in the best way - thanks again to buttermilk and to Bob's Red Mill Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, which is my favorite flour for baking light, fluffy cakes. An almond frosting with just the right amount of buttery sweetness tops these little cuties and nestles crunchy toasted almonds for the perfect bite of sweet almond bliss.
• Finally, these cupcakes are so cute! I love simple, understated desserts, and these cupcakes fit the bill perfectly. The nest of frosting housing toasted almonds gives off a little springtime vibes without being in-your-face, so that they are appropriate all year round. Which is a good thing, because they will be your new favorite!

How To Make Burnt Almond Cupcakes

Start By Making The Yellow Cake

1. Mix melted butter and sugar in a stand mixer or with a large bowl and hand mixer. Add eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and almond extract, and mix until smooth.
2. Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt. Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour is so light that I don't ever sift it. You'll want to mix in until it's just smooth, being careful not to over-mix.
3. Fill a cupcake tin lined with paper liners with the batter, filling each liner ¾ full. Bake 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
4. Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting them.

Toast The Almonds

1. After you remove the cupcakes from the oven, turn it up to 400°F.
2. Spread the sliced almonds onto a baking sheet and toast them for 5-6 minutes, or until they are golden. Watch closely so you don't burn them!

Make The Frosting

1. Beat the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and almond extract in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer in a large bowl until smooth, adding milk 1 tablespoon at a time until fluffy and smooth. You want a dense, smooth texture that's slightly stiff so that it doesn't run off the cupcakes.
2. If your frosting is too runny, add a bit more powdered sugar.

Assemble The Cupcakes

1. Use a piping bag with a large tip or a zip-top plastic bag with the corner cut out to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes in a large, smooth circle.
2. Use the back of a teaspoon to indent the center of the frosting to form a 'nest'.
3. Fill the 'nest'  of each cupcake with toasted almonds.

Tips For Making The Best Burnt Almond Cupcakes

• I love the flavor that vanilla bean paste provides desserts without the hassle of splitting a vanilla bean and scraping out the pods. If you can't find vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract works just fine, or you can use the pods of a vanilla bean (half for the cake, and half for the frosting).
• Use room temperature eggs for the best blending. You can bring eggs to room temperature quickly by placing them in warm water for about 10 minutes.
• Set the butter for the frosting out when you start baking the cake so that it's room temperature by the time you're ready to make the frosting.
• Be careful not to over-mix the batter, which can cause your cupcakes to sink or to become too tough. Mix the flour in until just blended.
• Make sure cupcakes are completely cool before frosting them so that the frosting doesn't slide off.

Can These Burnt Almond Cupcakes Be Made In Advance?

Absolutely! Cupcakes are better to make in advanced so that they're completely cool when you frost them. I recommend making them one day before you plan to serve them, though the frosting can be made 2-3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Let it soften slightly before frosting the cupcakes.

The almonds can be toasted ahead of time as well, but I recommend waiting until you plan to serve the cupcakes before placing them on top so that they are still nice and crunchy.

Storing Burnt Almond Cupcakes

I store these cupcakes in the refrigerator because I like cold frosting. Anyone else? They'll keep at room temperature for a couple of days, but after that, I suggest moving them to the refrigerator in an airtight container so that they don't dry out.

More Delicious Easter Desserts You'll Love

• Gluten-Free Lavender Lemon Bars
• Coconut Cake with 7 Minute Frosting
• Healthy Hummingbird Cake Banana Bread
• Lavender Shortbread Cookies
• Almond Joy Coconut Macaroons

Easy Burnt Almond Cupcakes

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 6 reviews

Easy burnt almond cupcakes with a buttery yellow cake base, simple almond frosting, and toasted almonds are a delicious spring dessert for Easter and other spring occasions!

• Author: Kaleigh
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 4 hours (includes cooling time)
• Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
• Category: dessert
• Method: baked
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For The Cupcakes

• 1 stick (½ cup) salted butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt

For the Frosting

• 1 stick (½ cup) salted butter, room temperature
• 1 lb powdered sugar (about 4 cups)
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 3-4 tablespoon milk
• ½ cup sliced almonds

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a standard sized muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, combine butter and sugar. Mix until well blended.
3. Add eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and almond extract and beat until well blended on medium speed, but don't over-mix.
4. Mix flour, baking powder and salt into the batter on low speed until just combined, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary.
5. Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling each ¾ of the way full.
6. Bake 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
7. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
8. Turn oven up to 400°F. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet, and toast for 5-6 minutes, or until golden, watching them carefully so that they don't burn. Remove from the oven and set aside.
9. To make the frosting, beat room temperature butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and almond extract in the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, until smooth.
10. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, as necessary to reach a fluffy but slightly stiff consistency. If frosting is too runny, add a bit more powdered sugar.
11. Store frosting in the refrigerator until ready to use.
12. To frost the cupcakes, scoop frosting into a pastry bag with a large tip or a large zip-top bag with the corner cut out to make a hole. Pipe frosting onto completely cooled cupcakes.
13. Use the bottom of a teaspoon to make a little hole in the center of the frosting on each cupcake to resemble a 'nest', then fill each hole with toasted almonds. Alternately, you can just press the almonds onto the freshly piped frosting to cover the entire top, if you'd like.

Notes

• Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour is so light that I don't ever sift it.
• Be careful not to over-mix the batter, which can cause your cupcakes to sink or to become too tough. Mix the flour in until just blended.
• Make sure cupcakes are completely cool before frosting them so that the frosting doesn't slide off.
• I love the flavor that vanilla bean paste provides desserts without the hassle of splitting a vanilla bean and scraping out the pods. If you can't find vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract works just fine, or you can use the pods of a vanilla bean (half for the cake, and half for the frosting).
• Use room temperature eggs for the best blending. You can bring eggs to room temperature quickly by placing them in warm water for about 10 minutes.
• Set the butter for the frosting out when you start baking the cake so that it's room temperature by the time you're ready to make the frosting.
• If you make the cupcakes in advance, wait to add the almonds to the tops until the day you are serving so that they stay crunchy.

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