Olive Oil Cupcakes With Black Currant Frosting (Printable)

Light, moist olive oil cupcakes with tangy black currant cream cheese frosting—perfect for elegant treats.

# What You Need:

→ For the Olive Oil Cupcakes

01 - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
05 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
06 - 2 large eggs, at room temperature
07 - 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
08 - 1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
09 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
10 - Zest of 1 lemon, optional

→ For the Black Currant Frosting

11 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
12 - 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
13 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
14 - 1/4 cup black currant jam or puree
15 - 1 teaspoon lemon juice
16 - Pinch of salt

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
03 - In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in olive oil until smooth.
04 - Stir in milk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest if using.
05 - Gently fold dry ingredients into wet mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.
06 - Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners, filling each approximately two-thirds full.
07 - Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
08 - Beat softened butter and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy.
09 - Add powdered sugar gradually while beating until frosting is fluffy.
10 - Mix in black currant jam, lemon juice, and salt. Beat until fully incorporated and frosting is light and spreadable.
11 - Once cupcakes are completely cool, frost generously with black currant frosting. Garnish with fresh black currants or additional lemon zest if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The olive oil keeps these impossibly moist without feeling heavy or greasy, which means they actually taste better the next day.
  • That black currant frosting walks the line between tart and sweet in a way that makes you feel fancy without trying too hard.
  • They're vegetarian, elegant enough for a dinner party, and still casual enough to pack in lunch boxes.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients sound like kitchen theater until you try skipping it and end up with a separated, greasy batter that bakes into something disappointingly dense.
  • Not overmixing after you add the flour is the single biggest difference between tender cupcakes and tough ones; your instinct will be to keep mixing until it looks perfect, but resist that urge.
  • Black currant isn't a substitution game—if you use raspberry or blackberry jam instead, you've got a different (still delicious) cupcake, not a compromise version of this one.
03 -
  • Use a small cookie scoop to fill your liners evenly; it takes thirty seconds longer but you end up with uniform cupcakes that all bake at the same rate.
  • If you're piping the frosting instead of spreading it, chill it for 10 minutes first so it holds its shape beautifully instead of melting into itself.
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