Valentine’s Day Cupcakes
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Show your love with these adorable and delicious Valentine’s Day cupcakes. Reminiscent of cinnamon hearts, they’re a scrumptious combination of rich dark chocolate with the spicy allure of cinnamon, then topped off with a pink cinnamon icing. If Valentine’s Day was a flavor, this is what it would taste like!
Is your love language food, too? These Valentine’s Day cupcakes are a sure way to make someone feel special – and they are as tasty as they are pretty! The dark chocolate holds its own without overpowering the cinnamon. And while the cinnamon hearts are certainly the most outspoken of the two, they manage not to take over the dark chocolate. What better declaration of love than a bouquet of cupcakes!
Key ingredients
These cute Valentine’s Day cupcakes are great for the 14th of February, but you can make them any time of the year to sweeten up any day! This recipe uses all the usual baking ingredients, but here are some items I want to highlight:
- Cocoa powder: See the notes section for more info about black cocoa powder.
- Cinnamon oil: Cinnamon oil adds warmth reminiscent of cinnamon hearts – if you don’t have cinnamon oil, don’t use ground cinnamon as a replacement as it has a different flavor. Some supermarkets carry cinnamon oil in the baking section. Otherwise, some health food stores or specialty supermarkets may have it. You can also find some cinnamon oil online.
- Cinnamon icing: Made with cinnamon hearts, salted butter, powdered sugar, whipping cream, cinnamon oil.
How to make Valentine’s Day Cupcakes
This Valentine’s Day cupcake recipe is super simple and super sweet! These are the instructions:
- Prep the batter: While your oven preheats, line a muffin pan with liners – or use a heart-shaped silicone cupcake pan for a cute shape! Whisk together the dry ingredients. Next, add the milk, oil, cinnamon oil, and eggs, and beat. Add the hot water and beat again.
- Divide and bake: Divide the batter between the cupcake liners, filling each one ¾ of the way full. Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Make the cinnamon icing: Blend cinnamon hearts into a powder. Cream the butter, then add powdered cinnamon hearts, sugar, whipping cream, and a dash of cinnamon oil and beat until light and fluffy.
- Pipe & delight: Pipe the icing onto the muffins and top with some cinnamon hearts. Cupid would approve!
How to decorate cupcakes for Valentine’s Day
Get ready to sprinkle some love on your cupcakes because the real fun is in the decorating! Especially if you’re whipping up a batch for someone special – if you have kids, get them involved, they will love this step! Here are some decorating ideas:
- Frosting: This cinnamon icing perfectly highlights the cinnamon notes. You can also use frosting with some drops of pink or red food dye, then use a piping bag to pipe the icing onto your cupcakes in a rose shape.
- Sweet words: Grab some icing pens and write cute and personalized messages for your lucky recipient! They’re like tiny canvases.
- Sprinkles and glitter: Sprinkle some love onto the cupcakes with pink, red, and white sprinkles, or use a batch of Valentine’s Day sprinkles. Edible glitter adds some extra dazzle!
- Chocolate shavings: Grate some rich chocolate to create beautiful chocolate shavings. Sprinkle them over your cupcakes for an extra touch of decadence.
- Edible flowers: These make an elegant and sweet personal touch!
- Valentine’s candy: Keep it classic and charming with conversation hearts candy. These timeless treats are not only delicious but also add a nostalgic touch to your Valentine’s Day creations.
Once you’ve decorated them, you can gift them by presenting them in a container, or use a decorative box with a ribbon and personalized note.
Storage
If you think you’ll eat them in 2-3 days, you can store them in an airtight container on the countertop at room temperature. They also freeze very well for longer storage.
Valentine’s Day Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons black cocoa powder (see notes)
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup cooking oil
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon oil
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup hot water
Cinnamon Icing
- ½ cup cinnamon hearts (plus a few extra for decorating)
- 1 cup salted butter (at room temperature)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with paper liners – or use a heart-shaped cupcake mold. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and both of the cocoa powders.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 tablespoons black cocoa powder
- Add the milk, oil, cinnamon oil, and eggs and beat using electric beaters. Add the hot water and beat just until combined.½ cup milk, ¼ cup cooking oil, ½ teaspoon cinnamon oil, 2 large eggs, ¼ cup hot water
- Divide the batter between the cupcake liners, filling each one ¾ of the way full. Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cinnamon Icing
- Add the cinnamon hearts to your food processor and pulse until they become a power.
- Add the butter to a large bowl and use electric beaters to cream the butter for 2 minutes. Add the ground cinnamon hearts, powdered sugar, whipping cream, and cinnamon oil and beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and continue to beat for 2 minutes more. Adjust the consistency to your liking by adding more cream or more powdered sugar.½ cup cinnamon hearts, 1 cup salted butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon oil, 2 tablespoons whipping cream
- Transfer the icing to a pastry bag and pipe the icing onto the cupcakes. Top each one with a cinnamon heart – or a few cinnamon hearts, if you'd like!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
What do you do if you can’t find cinnamon oil?
You can omit it, but the cupcakes won’t have that cinnamon hearts flavor – except in the frosting. Ground cinnamon isn’t a good substitute as it tastes very different. If you can’t find any, omit it and enjoy the chocolaty cupcakes. 🙂
Thank you! They really are super tasty. 🙂
I will take any excuse to eat chocolate (not that I needed one)… these cupcakes are so fun! Have a happy valentine’s day next week! <3
Any excuse is a good excuse! Happy Valentine’s Day to you, too!
Oh hell ya it is!
look very beautiful, good cupcakes for valentine’s day
Thank you. 🙂
These look sooooo amazing!! I want to eat them right now……I guess I am off to buy some ingredents, Thanks so much for this idea
Love that my post has you running to the grocery store. Best compliment ever. Let me know how you like them!
Hi Sarah,
To be honest this was the first time that I used silicone liners to bake cupcakes too. I did have to bake them for a few minutes longer that the original recipe called for. It is hard to say if that was because I changed the recipe or my oven temp was a little off or if it was because of the silicone liners.
Btw: your lavender and lemon cupcakes look amazing!