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    Home » Sweet » Horchata Cupcakes with Horchata Cream Cheese Buttercream

    Horchata Cupcakes with Horchata Cream Cheese Buttercream

    Published: Aug 12, 2019·Modified: Jul 29, 2020 by Lisa Brown · 29 Comments

    Skip to Recipe Print Recipe

    I mean, the title says it all. If you like cupcakes and you like horchata, buckle up. If you don’t know what horchata is, also buckle up. These cupcakes started out as an experiment and ended up a bundle of creamy, cinnamon-y goodness. Horchata cupcakes with horchata cream cheese buttercream is an instant staple in this house. For sure.

    First, let’s talk about what you have to like in order to enjoy these cakes. Cinnamon. You gotta love it. These are like little cinnamon bombs. Soft, fluffy, cinnamon bombs. The cakes and the frosting are not only made with horchata, but also with additional cinnamon.

    Horchata Cupcakes with Horchata Cream Cheese Buttercream

    What is horchata?

    This is normally the first thing that people ask me when I say I made horchata cupcakes. I’m no horchata expert and to be honest, I do not enjoy horchata as a drink. But it’s SO SO SOOO good in cupcakes!

    Horchata has several varieties, but its most common variety is a rice milk flavored with cinnamon and vanilla. There are other varieties made with different types of grains and slightly different spices, but I decided to go with the rice milk and cinnamon type, although, I did see that some horchata includes nutmeg, and I’m definitely interested in trying that too.

    For this recipe, I used premade horchata that I found in the grocery store. I know it can be done homemade, but I haven’t learned how to do that yet. Although, it definitely sounds DELISH.

    Making the horchata cakes

    This recipe sounds a little crazy and exotic, but it’s actually super easy and they come together just like any other basic cupcake. Get your oven preheating to 350F, measure out all of your ingredients, and as always, make sure everything is room temperature so that everything mixes and blends well together. After that, start by mixing all of your dry ingredients into a bowl: sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and CINNAMON!

    Tip: Always weigh ingredients, especially flour, so you get a perfectly consistent amount every time.

    Horchata Cupcakes with Horchata Cream Cheese Buttercream

    In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, mix together on high speed the butter and sugar until light and creamy (abut 1-2 minutes). Next, add egg whites and continue to mix until combined. As the eggs whip, the mixture will get big and fluffy. Now, we’ve removed the egg yolks, so egg whites along are all protein which will provide structure for the cake, but can dry it out. Fear not. We’re about to add sour cream which is FANTASTIC for making a soft, moist cake. Also, whipping the egg whites will add air to the batter and will lighten the texture of the cake.

    After the eggs whites are fluffy, add the sour cream and vanilla extract and mix until combined.

    Turn your mixer on low and begin to spoon in your dry mixture a little at a time until just combined. Then slowly pour in the horchata until the ingredients are all mixed, but do not overmix! Overmixing will over develop the gluten in the cake and cause it to be dense. Sometimes I’ll pour in the liquid and just finish the mixing by hand to avoid this.

    When your batter is ready, pour into cupcakes liners and fill about ¾ full. Bake in the over on 350F for about 15-18 minutes. While these are baking, let’s get started on the buttercream.

    Horchata Cupcakes with Horchata Cream Cheese Buttercream

    Horchata Cream Cheese Buttercream

    This stuff is so insanely easy. And I’m a sucker for some cream cheese buttercream. For this, I used a 1:1 ratio of butter and cream cheese in terms of weight: 1 stick of butter and half a block (four ounces) of cream cheese (both about 115 grams).

    For this, I would also recommend that you use cold cream cheese. *shock* *horror* Yes, really. I find that room temperature cream cheese and room temperature butter can actually make the buttercream TOO soft. Rest assured, it still mixed beautifully. On high, whisk together the butter an cream cheese. Once it’s creamy, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and horchata. Continue to whip the buttercream until light and fluffy.

    When the cupcakes are done, remove from oven and cool COMPLETELY on a cooling rack. It’s hard to wait. REALLY hard. The cakes are delicious alone and I could eat the frosting with a spoon. But MAN it stinks if you frost a cake too soon and you watch powerlessly as the buttercream sliiiiiiides off to the side!

    And that’s it! There’s really not a whole lot to it as long as you can get your hands on the horchata, you can easily whip up these Horchata cupcakes with Horchata cream cheese buttercream and make everyone think you’re super fancy.

    Enjoy!

    Need some more cake ideas? Try these!

    • Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes
    • Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes
    • Coconut Cream Cake
    • Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes
    • Spiced Apple Cider Cupcakes
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    Horchata Cupcakes with Horchata Cream Cheese Buttercream

    Soft, fluffy, and delicious Horchata cupcakes with Horchata Cream Cheese Buttercream. Packed with cinnamon and creamy horchata
    4.67 from 24 votes
    Print Pin Share on Facebook Rate
    Prep: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 16 minutes
    Servings: 24 cupcakes
    Author: Lisa Brown

    Ingredients

    For the cake

    • 360 grams All purpose flour
    • 400 grams granulated sugar
    • 2 sticks butter
    • 4 egg whites
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 225 grams sour cream full fat
    • 2 tsp baking powder
    • ½ tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1-¼ cup horchata

    For the buttercream

    • 1 stick butter
    • ½ block full fat cream cheese 115 grams
    • 500 grams powdered sugar
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 2 tbsp horchata

    Instructions

    Cake

    • Preheat oven to 350°F
    • In a large bowl, mix sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
    • Make sure all ingredients are room temperature
    • In a stand or hand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk butter on high (about a minute) until creamy.
    • Add sugar and mix until combined, about 1-2 minutes.
    • Add egg whites and continue to whip until mixed. Mixture will begin to get fluffy.
    • Add vanilla and sour cream and mix until combined.
    • Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix.
    • Slowly pour in horchata and mix until just combined.
    • Fill cupcake liners ¾ full, and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
    • Let cool completely before icing.

    Buttercream

    • In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk together butter and cream cheese. For this, I used cold cream cheese so it would not be too soft. Mix until combined and creamy.
    • Mix in powdered sugar.
    • Add cinnamon, vanilla, and horchata. Mix until smooth and creamy. Pipe onto cupcakes and enjoy!
    Tried this recipe?Mention @asystemofabrown or tag #systemofabrown!
     
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Samantha Renee says

      May 11, 2022 at 4:14 pm

      5 stars
      These were a hit! I felt like something was missing though so I drizzled condensed milk on top and that gave it the milky-ness i was looking for. Also sprinkled with cinnamon and topped with a straw and they looked so cute! The frosting recipe does not make enough for the cupcake recipe though, so make sure to double it. I will be making again, I already got another request for these!

      Reply
    2. Maria says

      April 12, 2022 at 1:41 pm

      The recipe calls for only egg whites, but could I use the whole egg if I wanted to? If so, how many eggs would I use?

      Reply
    3. Anonymous says

      February 26, 2022 at 4:44 pm

      Hi, what type of butter do you use? Salted or unsalted?

      Thank you,
      Rashell

      Reply
      • Lisa Brown says

        February 26, 2022 at 7:07 pm

        Hi! I usually use salted. I’ve honestly not ever been able to tell a difference between using salted and unsalted in cakes.

        Reply
    4. Lyn says

      October 14, 2021 at 3:14 pm

      Hi could you possibly provide the measurements into cups please?

      Reply
      • Kelly says

        April 09, 2022 at 12:54 am

        hi for the Hotchata flavor can u use the powder mix or does it have to be the concentration liquid one

        Reply
    5. Ally says

      June 23, 2021 at 11:08 am

      5 stars
      Have you ever used gluten free flour and if so is it 1:1 as regular flour?

      Reply
    6. Laura says

      December 29, 2020 at 10:56 pm

      Hi,
      So do we use horchata that’s already made or the mix?

      Reply
      • Lisa Brown says

        December 30, 2020 at 12:07 am

        Hello! I used already made horchata. I was able to fnd it by the bottle in my local grocery store. I’ve never seen mix before! I’ll have to check that out.

        Reply
        • Laura says

          December 31, 2020 at 7:23 am

          Thank you!! Also if you’d like try out the different types of horchata. The two I know of are Mexican and Salvadoran. The Mexican one is usually a more pronounced cinnamon and rice flavor while the Salvadoran horchata can taste a bit like peanuts.

          Reply
          • Lisa Brown says

            December 31, 2020 at 8:38 am

            oooooo that sounds interesting! I’ll have to look for some of that! Thanks!!

            Reply
    7. Emily says

      December 24, 2020 at 11:55 am

      I’m making these for a wedding and want to know if making them the day before would work or even making the cupcake and frosting the day before but wait to frost the day of?

      Reply
      • Lisa Brown says

        December 24, 2020 at 12:01 pm

        Hello! I frequently make cupcakes the day before an event. I have stored both frosted and not frosted the cakes the day before. Just make sure to cover with plastic wrap if not frosted. If they are frosted, I usually put them in a covered container, cupcake box, or something else deep enough to not disturb the topping.

        Also, if you choose to store the frosting overnight in the refrigerator, make sure you leave enough time for it to soften enough to pipe!

        Hope this helps! Good luck!

        Reply
    8. Christopher Angel says

      October 29, 2020 at 10:20 am

      360 grams of flour how much is that into cups
      Same 400 of grams of sugar

      Reply
      • Lisa Brown says

        October 29, 2020 at 8:57 pm

        Hello! 360 grams of flour translates to 3 cups of flour, spooned and leveled, not scooped. 400 grams of sugar is 2 cups. I’m working on getting the metric to US conversions on all of my recipes. Thanks!

        Reply
        • brianna lopez says

          October 21, 2021 at 11:10 am

          Hello! whats 500 grams of powdered sugar to cups conversion?

          Reply
          • Lisa Brown says

            October 24, 2021 at 6:21 pm

            Hello! 500g of powdered sugar is somewhere in between 3.75 cups and 4 cups.

            Reply
          • Monica says

            March 17, 2022 at 12:29 am

            Horchata ? Isn’t that a drink?how will two table spoons give it any flavor or what exactly i buying in the store? I never seen horchata flavor…

            Reply
    9. Brianna Gutierrez says

      February 12, 2020 at 2:01 pm

      Hello. When it asks for Horchata, is it like the drink, or horchata powder.?

      Reply
      • Lisa Brown says

        February 12, 2020 at 8:22 pm

        Hello! I’m referring to the drink. I’ve actually never heard of Horchata powder before! Interesting. I’ll have to look that up!

        Reply
        • Tina says

          June 17, 2020 at 11:24 am

          For the cupcake mixture is your recipe calling for 1-1/4 cup horchata or 1/4c

          Reply
          • Lisa Brown says

            June 23, 2020 at 8:35 am

            Hello! It is 1-1/4. Thanks for pointing that out! I can change that so it is a little more clear!

            Reply
            • Estela says

              August 16, 2020 at 11:57 am

              I had no doubt it was 1 and 1/4 cups . But now I need the word “and “ please ASAP. I’m starting to bake it now

              Reply
        • Yesenia says

          June 07, 2021 at 6:22 pm

          4 stars
          There’s a Horchata mix powder called “Klass” it’s kinda like kool-aid powder mix but sugary. It’s sold at Walmart online or in he Hispanic/Mexican aisle.

          Reply
      • Arlene says

        June 18, 2020 at 9:24 pm

        Hi…I made this Recipe and the cupcakes came out Delish but my Frosting isn’t Stiff enough to form Peaks…it seems Fall.. what would be the reason for this…I followed exactly what the Directions said…I’m so sad

        Reply
        • Lisa Brown says

          June 23, 2020 at 8:34 am

          Hi! I’m glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! If the frosting was too thin to pipe and stand up, you can try adding a little more powdered sugar. When I make a frosting that is too thin, that usually works for me. I also use cold cream cheese (which seems backwards because most baking is done with room temperature ingredients). When i did this with room temp cream cheese, it was really loose. Still delish! but soft. It just takes a little more whipping if it’s cold.

          hope this helps!

          Reply
          • maggie says

            August 15, 2020 at 1:10 pm

            Hi ! can i make a cake with this recipe instead of cupcakes

            Reply
            • Lisa Brown says

              August 16, 2020 at 4:06 pm

              Sure! I know some bakers alter recipes for cakes vs. cupcakes, but I typically use my recipes interchangeably without issue. *IF* I change anything, sometimes I bake cakes at 325F (takes a bit longer of course) instead of 350F because the cakes dome less at a lower heat.

              Reply

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