Shamrock Shake Cupcakes - your absolute favorite ice cream drink made into a minty cupcake with homemade whipped cream and a maraschino cherry on top.
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I don't drink shakes or malts too often. First, because it is one of the few foods/drinks I am capable of self-control with, and second because I am not a big fan of ice cream.
I'll give you some time to wrap your brain around the fact that I don't really like ice cream. It usually gives people pause, as if they can't trust a person who doesn't like ice cream. Of course, it's the people who don't like donuts you can't really trust. 😉
Despite my lack of enthusiasm for all things ice cream, I absolutely LOVE Shamrock Shakes from McDonald's. Every year I have to have one or three. Then I am done with shakes and malts until the next Shamrock Shake season.
St. Patrick's Day or St. Patty's Day as I lovingly refer to it just isn't complete without a Shamrock Shake, so, of course, I am going to make Shamrock Shake Cupcakes!!
Shamrock Shake Cupcakes are positively adorable, aren't they? They look just like Shamrock Shakes but in cupcake form and everything is better as a cupcake or a donut. #donutobsessed
I've been wanting to make and share these forever, but I get SO busy this time of year with a ton of birthdays and Easter baking. Thankfully, this year was the year!!
Shamrock Shake Cupcakes are adapted from the baketastic Your Cup of Cake. Her cupcake recipes are the bomb, so naturally, I am adapting this little joy from her. I even used the same biodegradable paper straws, which wasn't planned btw. I didn't notice until I was linking up to her recipe. Crazy!!
Shamrock Shake Cupcakes are made from scratch cupcakes that utilize all-purpose flour AND cake flour. If you don't have cake flour, you can totally make your own with How to Make Cake Flour.
These St. Patty's Day cupcakes are soft and tender thanks to the cake flour and super moist thanks to the crap ton of eggs it uses, four large ones.
Shamrock Shake Cupcakes also use vanilla extract and mint extract. You can use peppermint extract, but for a true Shamrock Shake experience, you're going to need the mint stuff. It screams SHAMROCK SHAKE rather than Christmas spirit.
And of course, Shamrock Shake Cupcakes wouldn't be Shamrock Shakes if they weren't green. To get their delicious green color, add a little mint green gel paste or green food coloring to your desired amount.
As if the mint and green of the cupcakes aren't enough, these Shamrock Shake Cupcakes are decked out in festive joy with homemade whipped cream frosting, a maraschino cherry, and a paper straw.
I mean honestly, Shamrock Shake Cupcakes wouldn't be complete without the homemade whipped cream frosting and maraschino cherry, then they would just be mint cupcakes. Blah.
The homemade whipped cream frosting is cold heavy whipping cream whipped like crazy to your desired consistency and piped on using a disposable piping bag fitted with a 1M piping tip; it doesn't get easier than a one-ingredient frosting.
Shamrock Shake Cupcakes absolutely LOOK and TASTE like Shamrock Shakes!! They are beyond delicious and Shamrock Shakes are the BEST!!
Shamrock Shake Cupcakes
Ingredients
For Shamrock Cupcakes
- 1 and ¾ cup cake flour
- 1 and ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 and ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 and ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup 1% milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 teaspoons mint extract
- mint green food coloring, amount as desired
For Whipped Cream Frosting
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream, cold
- maraschino cherries
Instructions
For Shamrock Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream sugar and butter for two minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.
- Slowly add flour mixture to wet ingredients, alternating between flour mixture and milk; beat at low speed until just combined. Add vanilla extract and mint extract, as well as desired amount of mint green food coloring, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Scoop batter into cupcake liners – no more than ⅔ full, or use a #24 disher to scoop batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Check cupcakes around 15 minutes to avoid over-baking. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cupcake, if it comes out clean it is done. Remove cupcakes from the oven and allow cupcakes to cool in cupcake pan for 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cupcakes should be cooled completely before frosting.
For Whipped Cream Frosting
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer with a wire whisk attachment, beat heavy whipping cream until desired level of firmness.
- Pipe cooled cupcakes with a disposable piping bag fitted with a 1M Piping Tip. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and a paper straw. Eat & Enjoy!
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