Horchata Cupcakes

(Used in this project: Small Diamond Tags and Envelope Seals in Fest style.)

I’m hosting a Cinco de Mayo party at my house this year, so I thought it’d be fun to make a batch of Horchata cupcakes for the occasion. This recipe, adapted from Chockylit’s Cupcake Bakeshop, is one of my absolute favorite cupcake recipes of all time, and it’s worth the extra effort it takes to prepare. Plus, if you make a double batch of the Horchata, you’ll have enough to serve as a beverage during the party.

So, to make your cupcakes, you’ll first need to get your hands on some Horchata. Personally, I like to make it at home using this recipe:

Homemade Horchata

• 1 cup long grain rice (I used brown basmati)
• 2 cups slivered almonds
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 cups water

1. Wash and drain the rice.
2. Pour ingredients together into a large jar or pitcher and let soak overnight.

3. Pour half of the mixture into a blender, and blend well.
4. Strain with a metal strainer.

5. Strain again using a double layer of cheesecloth.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 with the second half of the mixture.

Once you’ve made your Horchata, you’ll need to reserve 1 cup for the cupcakes, and another ½ cup for the frosting. Sweeten whatever you have leftover with a little simple syrup for a tasty cold beverage.

Horchata Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

• 1 stick butter
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup fresh Horchata
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 350◦F.

1. Soften butter in the mixer on high speed.
2. Drizzle the sugar in with the butter and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together.
4. Mix the Horchata and vanilla together.
5. Add the flour mixture and Horchata mixture to the butter/sugar in three parts, alternating between the flour and Horchata.
6. Set aside incorporated mixture.
7. In a clean mixing bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
8. Fold egg whites into the cake batter until fully incorporated.
9. Scoop batter into the prepared cupcake pans until they are 3/4 ‘s full.
10. Bake in a 350◦F oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of your cupcakes comes out clean.

Frosting

• 2 sticks butter, softened
• ½ cup fresh horchata
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 7-8 cups confectioner’s sugar

1. Soften butter in the mixer on high speed.
2. Sift confectioner’s sugar.
3. Add horchata, vanilla, and 4 cups of confectioner’s sugar, and beat until combined.
4. Add remainder sugar 1 cup at a time until desired consistency/sweetness is reached.

Assembly
1. Wait until the cupcakes are completely cool before frosting.
2. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
3. Attach your personalized tags and labels to a toothpick and insert into the center of the cupcake.
4. Serve and enjoy!

I used sunburst colored tags and labels in the style Fest.

Used In This Project:

• Small Diamond Tags • I chose the “Fest” style in Sunburst.
• Envelope Seals • I chose the “Fest” style in Sunburst.

More Cinco de Mayo recipes:

Candied Jalapenos	Cucumber Cooler	Homemade Horchata	Habanero Hot Sauce

Shop Our Cinco de Mayo Collection:

Cinco de Mayo Labels Cinco de Mayo Gift Tags Cinco de Mayo Coasters Shop Entire Cinco de Mayo Collection

Lindsay (114 Posts)

Lindsay is a writer/blogger from Oregon who loves crafting, cooking, gardening, and simple living. You can find her writing about all of this and more on her blog A Wooden Nest.