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image of adorable polar bear cupcakes made with buttercream frosting and black sprinkles
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5 from 3 ratings

Polar Bear Cupcakes

These polar bear cupcakes are decorated with buttercream to look just like little polar bears! They're just as cute as they are tasty!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time19 minutes
Additional Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 4 minutes
Course: Cupcakes
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Calories: 334kcal
Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

White Almond Cupcakes:

  • 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 150g
  • 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 6g
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt 3g
  • 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature 125g
  • 1/2 cup water 120g
  • 1 large egg, room temperature 56g
  • 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil 56g
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g
  • 1 1/2 tsp almond extract 6g

Vanilla Almond Buttercream:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 113g
  • 3/4 tsp almond extract 3g
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 2g
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt 1g
  • 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar 220g
  • 1 Tbsp heavy cream or milk, room temperature 15g

Additional Tools / Equipment

Instructions

White Almond Cupcakes:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C and place 12 cupcake liners in muffin pans.
  • Sift 1 1/4 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 ½ tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt together into a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
  • Pour in the 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup water, 1 large egg, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 1/2 tsp almond extract into a separate, large bowl and whisk together until combined.
  • Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula. Mix until the ingredients are just combined, and you can’t see any streaks of flour.
  • Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Let the cupcakes cool for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. If you want to accelerate the cooling process, pop the pan into your freezer for about 30 minutes.

Almond Buttercream Frosting:

  • Beat 1/2 cup of unsalted butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with stand mixer or hand mixer until smooth.
  • Add in 3/4 tsp almond extract, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 tsp salt. Beat on low until the ingredients are incorporated. 
  • Slowly mix in 1 3/4 cups of powdered sugar on a low speed. Halfway through add 1 Tbsp of heavy cream of milk to make the frosting easier to mix.
  • Once fully mixed, if the frosting seems too thick, add in additional cream or milk (1 tsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (quarter of a cup at a time).
  • Mix on a low speed for a few minutes to make the frosting super smooth.
  • Place half the buttercream in a piping bag fit with a small grass tip, and the other half in a separate bag fit with a round piping tip. NOTE: If you have a coupler that fits both piping tips you can place all the frosting in one large piping bag.

Decorating these Polar Bear Cupcakes:

  • Use the piping bag fit with a round piping tip to cover the entire top of the cupcake with a thin layer of buttercream.
  • Use the same piping tip to pipe a small oval on the bottom of third or each cupcake. Smooth the frosting with a small offset spatula.
  • Switch to a small grass piping tip and pipe buttercream fur around the mound, fully covering the rest of the cupcake.
  • Place a large black sprinkle at the top of the mound to be the polar bear's nose, and two smaller round sprinkles above the mound to look like the eyes. Use a long, thin sprinkle to make the polar bear's mouth. If you don't have black sprinkles like this, I suggest rolling out small balls with black fondant to create the polar bear's face.
  • Pipe two small dollops of white buttercream along the top edge of the cupcake with the round piping tip to be the polar bears ears.
  • Repeat with remaining cupcakes! Feel free to get creative with each polar bear's facial expression and give them a little personality.
  • Then enjoy! These cupcakes taste best fresh, but frosted cupcakes can sit out at room temperature for 2 days in an airtight container or be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Video

Notes

Tips for Making the Best Polar Bear Cupcakes:

  • Use a cookie scoop to easily fill your cupcake liners.
  • Be sure to use high quality almond extract in this recipe since it is the main flavoring!
  • Ingredients at room temp mix together better! Set any cold ingredients ahead of time.
  • Bang your cupcake pan on the counter before putting it in the oven. This brings any air bubbles that are trapped in the batter to the surface.
  • This is an American buttercream frosting, so it will crust as it sits out and is exposed to air! Be sure to either cover the frosting with plastic wrap if it's made in advance, or immediately place it into your piping bags.

Polar Bear Cupcake Variations:

  • You can also get creative with the type of extract you use! This recipe would also be great with coconut extract, hazelnut extract, or even pistachio extract! Use the same quantity of any of these extracts in place of the almond extract in this recipe.
  • To make eggless, dairy free polar bear cupcakes, use an alternative dairy milk to replace the heavy cream (almond, oat, or soy), dairy free yogurt (almond, oat, or soy) in place of the sour cream, vegan butter sticks to replace the butter, and an egg replacer like this.
  • To make gluten free polar bear cupcakes, swap in your favorite gluten free flour blend for the AP flour this recipe calls for and be sure to over-mix your batter and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before baking for best results.

Making These Polar Bear Cupcakes In Advance & Storage Tips:

Make your cupcakes in advance! If stored unfrosted in an airtight container, they can last for 2 days at room temp, up to 5 days in the fridge, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Make your frosting ahead of time too or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.
Frosted cupcakes can sit out at room temperature overnight or be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container, but I find frosting them right before serving is best.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 228mg | Sugar: 34g