RECIPE
Valentine's Day Cupcakes Recipe
Experience love at first bite with our double chocolate cupcakes this Valentine’s Day.
05 December, 2025
Steal the show and a few hearts with our Valentine’s Day cupcakes! These chocolatey delights are topped with a swirl of Milkybar® buttercream, fresh strawberries and cute heart sprinkles. Easy enough for beginner bakers but impressive enough to feel special, our Valentine’s cupcakes are great for a Cupid’s celebration or as a sweet treat after a romantic dinner for two.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
Our Valentine’s Day cupcakes combine chocolate sponge and creamy Milkybar® into one bite. They’re simple, tasty and make for a fun couple's date idea. Whip up a batch together and set up a decoration station with a selection of toppings! For more easy cupcakes for every occasion, read our Easy Cupcake Recipes.
Valentine’s Day cupcake topping tips
Once you’ve mixed your Milkybar® white chocolate buttercream icing, it’s time to decorate your Valentine’s cupcakes. Pipe it in swirls, rosettes or squiggles. Dollop it on and use the back of a spoon to create swirls of peaks and valleys. Or pop some icing on, press it down and even it out with a palette knife for a flat-top look. Whatever route you take, just make sure your buttercream is not too cold, or it will be difficult to work with. Once you’ve iced your cupcakes, get creative with the toppings! Heart-shaped sprinkles, freeze-dried raspberries, pink or red edible glitter, silver and gold baubles or Milkybar® Coated Strawberries, it’s all up for grabs.
Storage instructions
Cupcakes are always best when fresh, but kept in an airtight container, they will last up to three days at room temperature. You can also freeze the un-iced cupcakes in an airtight container for up to three months. To defrost, simply put them in the fridge overnight and ice in the morning. This is great to get ahead of the last-minute Valentine’s madness!
You will need
- 16 cupcake cases
- A cupcake tray
- A whisk or an electric whisk
- A wooden spoon
- An electric mixer
- Two mixing bowls
For the cupcakes
- 120g self-raising flour
- 50g cocoa powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 200g light soft brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 125ml semi-skimmed milk
- 125ml sunflower oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 100ml hot water
For the icing
- 100g Milkybar®
- 100g buttery baking spread
- 150g icing sugar
- 1 tbsp semi-skimmed milk
For the decorations
- 16 fresh strawberries
- Heart-shaped sprinkles
Each cupcake typically contains:
of an adult’s Reference Intake (RI)*
Energy per 100g: 1456kJ/348kcal
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°fan/gas mark 4.
- Sift the flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda together in a bowl and whisk to combine.
- In another bowl, add the sugar, eggs, buttermilk, oil, milk and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in two stages and gently fold to combine. Gradually add the hot water while mixing until combined.
- Fill cupcake liners to just over half full and bake for 18-20 minutes. A cocktail stick or cake tester should come out clean. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
- Make the buttercream icing by sifting the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a bowl and adding the butter, whisking with an electric mixer – or beating vigorously with a wooden spoon – until light and fluffy. Pipe a small amount of icing onto each cupcake.
- Top each cupcake with a fresh strawberry and some heart-shape sprinkles and serve.
Top Tips
A great tip for any cupcake recipe is to always use room-temperature ingredients. When everything is the same temperature, the ingredients bind together better. If your icing is feeling a little stiff from sitting in the fridge, you can loosen it up with a splash of milk. Add a tablespoon at a time and whisk to combine until you get the right consistency. If you want to add some Valentine’s Day pizzazz to your icing, use a few drops a of pink or red gel food colouring until you get the colour that you’re after! For another tasty and colourful cupcake recipe, try our Milkybar® Red Velvet Cupcakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
A great cupcake is all in the details. Room temperature ingredients for better emulsion, a mixture that’s mixed but not over-mixed, and baking at the right temperature for just the right amount of time. It’s a balancing act but our recipe has got you covered.
The right amount of moisture and fat are crucial for moist cupcakes. And never overbake your cupcakes!
Whisking your sugar, eggs, buttermilk, oil, milk and vanilla until smooth is key, as is folding the mixture into the flour. The more you mix cake mixture, the more you start to develop the gluten which leads to tough cupcakes. Mix just enough until smooth and always fill the cupcake case just over half full to give the cupcakes enough space to rise.
Always, and we mean always, wait until the cupcakes are completely cool before icing.
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