The Nutcracker is one of my favorites for the holiday season. These Sugar Plum Cupcakes are perfect for snacking on for a Nutcracker viewing. And, plums are some of my favorite stone fruits. They bake up so deliciously tangy and sweet in desserts. You are gonna love this one!
As a child, I danced in the Nutcracker ballet as a mouse. I still remember being about 9 years old and having to carry off guy who played with the Mouse King with the other little mice. Boy was he heavy, lol!
Table of Contents
What do you need to make these delicious Sugar Plum Cupcakes?
You’ll need basic cake ingredients like flour, baking powder, salt, oil, eggs, vanilla, and sugar.
You’ll also need almond extract, milk, and plums. In addition, you’ll need powdered sugar, butter, and some of the plums for the sugar plum buttercream frosting.
How do you make Sugar Plum Cupcakes?
These are some of my favorite. The center of each cupcake is filled with a delicious plum filling, and then the leftover plum filling is incorporated into the buttercream frosting.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the vegetable oil and 1 cup white sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes.
Beat in the eggs, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract and the almond extract.
Beat in half of the dry ingredients, then 1 cup of the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients until just incorporated.
Portion out the cupcake batter into the prepared liners, filling each about 2/3 of the way full.
Bake for 18-22 minutes until lightly golden and an inserted toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the plum filling.
How do you make the plum filling?
Combine the chopped plums, 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently, then reduce to a simmer at medium-low heat until mixture has thickened and plums are completely broken down or can be squished into a jam-like consistency with the back of a spoon.
Remove the plum filling from heat and allow to cool.
Once the cupcakes are cooled, use a cupcake corer to remove the center of the cupcakes, being careful to leave a bit of cupcake at the bottom.
Fill each cupcake with about 1-2 teaspoons of the plum mixture.
How do you make the Sugar Plum Cupcake Frosting?
For the frosting, beat together the butter and icing sugar for 2 minutes until light and creamy. Add the 2-3 tablespoons of milk plus the vanilla extract and beat to incorporate.
Combine remaining plum mixture with the vanilla icing and beat well to break down any large bits of plum. If you do this, you won’t get any clogs when you pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.
Scoop the plum-vanilla frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and frost each cupcake.
Garnish each cupcake with sprinkles.
Can you make these Sugar Plum Cupcakes ahead of time?
I would recommend making them up just 1 to 2 days before needed due to the fresh fruit filling.
If you do make them up ahead of time, keep them in a sealed container in the fridge until the day of serving.
More Plum Desserts
- Simple Plum Clafoutis
- Upside Down Plum Cake
- Simple Plum Pasties
- Grilled Plums
- Apple Plum Skillet Cobbler
More Cupcake Recipes
- Rainbow Cupcakes
- S’mores Cupcakes
- Pink Velvet Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes
- Candy Cane OREO Cupcakes
More Christmas Desserts
- Let’s Make Easy Sugar Cookie Fudge
- Easy and Delicious Fudge Stuffed Cookie Bars
- Christmas Swirl Cheesecake Bars
- Christmas Cherry Cookie Cups
- Merry Mint Mini Cheesecakes
- It’s the Grinch Cookie Dip
Sugar Plum Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 1/2 cup White Sugar
- 2 Eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Almond Extract
- 1 cup Milk, Plus 2-3 Tablespoons
- 3 Plums, chopped and pits discarded
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup Butter, softened at room temperature
- 4-5 cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350F.
Line two muffin trays with cupcake liners and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the vegetable oil and 1 cup white sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes.
Beat in the eggs, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract and the almond extract.
Beat in half of the dry ingredients, then 1 cup of the milk, then the rest of the dry ingredients until just incorporated.
Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 of the way full.
Bake for 18-22 minutes until lightly golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the plum filling.
Plum Filling
Combine the chopped plums, 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently, then reduce to a simmer at medium-low heat until mixture has thickened and plums are completely broken down or can be squished into a jam-like consistency with the back of a spoon.
Remove the plum filling from heat and allow to cool.
Once the cupcakes are cooled, use a cupcake corer to remove the center of the cupcakes, being careful to leave a bit of cupcake at the bottom.
Fill each cupcake with about 1-2 teaspoons of the plum mixture.
Sugar Plum Frosting
For the frosting, beat together the butter and icing sugar for 2 minutes until light and creamy.
Add the 2-3 Tablespoons of milk plus the vanilla extract and beat to incorporate. Set aside.
Combine remaining plum mixture with the vanilla icing and beat well to break down any large bits of plum.
Scoop the sugar plum frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and frost each cupcake.
Garnish each cupcake with sprinkles.
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