Golden Milk Cupcakes

These golden milk cupcakes, topped with a creamy vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream and a drizzle of sugar-free caramel sauce, are a beautiful way to celebrate any occasion.

Happy New Year, friends! Yes, I know I’m a few days late to the party, but we’re here now, we’re in it, and I’m making up for it with these incredible Golden Milk Cupcakes. Seriously, you’re going to want to make these every day – no need to wait for a special occasion.

But first, a little recap of the six weeks I’ve been away…

Those of you that follow me on Instagram may have seen this post. I was going through a really rough patch; I was struggling with intense overwhelm at my day job and in my personal life, while also trying to be present here with you guys as well. I took on a bit too much and burned out in a big way. When my mom surprised me with a visit at the beginning of December, I took it as an opportunity to take a little break. I stepped away from my keyboard, my oven (mostly – I have a first Christmas dinner turkey story that I HAVE to share at a later date), and social media, and took some time to relax and regroup so that I could come back and kick ass in 2019.

So here we are! I hope you all had wonderful holiday breaks as well, ate lots of delicious treats, and took some time to rest. I am so happy to be back in the kitchen and behind the camera again. While my body and mind craved the break, I definitely missed the creativity of blogging and connecting with you all.

On that note, let’s talk about golden milk for a second.

When I dreamed up the idea for these Golden Milk Cupcakes, I had never even seen a turmeric latte in the flesh, let alone tasted one. They seemed a little hippy-dippy to me. I didn’t understand the nutritional value of drinking a cupful of turmeric – all I remember was an image of golden milk as I was scrolling Instagram a while back and thinking it was such a beautiful colour. I wondered if I could replicate it in a cake. And top it with swiss meringue buttercream. And sugar-free caramel. Because we don’t do cupcakes half-assed around here.

Since I like to know exactly what’s going into my food, I did a little research behind the woo-wooness of turmeric lattes. According to Alina Petre (MS, RD) in an article on Healthline, golden milk is high in antioxidants due to its key ingredients of turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger, helping boost your immunity against disease and infections. Research also shows that curcumin – the active ingredient in turmeric – has been known to reduce inflammation and joint pain, improve memory and brain function, protect against heart disease, and reduce depression. Seems like quite the magical ingredient, turmeric, doesn’t it? I mean, I’m all for healing ourselves with food – I believe that what we put into our bodies affects our overall physical and mental health. But can one little root really do all this?

Either way, I decided to test this golden milk thing out. Many of the recipes I read online had common ingredients: turmeric, cinnamon, and your choice of milk and sweetener. Most recipes also included coconut oil and black pepper to enhance the absorption of curcumin into the body. I decided to use all of these ingredients, with coconut milk as my choice of milk, and a little nutmeg for a bit more flavour.

Gotta be honest with you, friends, I wasn’t a fan of the drink. It was too earthy for my taste, but the ingredients (read: cinnamon and nutmeg) seemed too appealing not to try in cake form, so I gave it a go anyway.

I will now be consuming all of my turmeric in the form of Golden Milk Cupcakes.

If you’re not into golden milk (or turmeric lattes), I insist you try out these cupcakes before you give them the ol’ heave-ho. They’re a touch earthy, yes, but they’re also gently spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper and definitely sweet enough from the fluffy vanilla swiss meringue buttercream and coconut sugar caramel sauce.

And if what they say is true about turmeric and its magical properties, then I’d argue these cupcakes are even on some level GOOD for you.

It’s all in how you view things after all. Who I am to judge?

I hope you love these Golden Milk Cupcakes. If you make them, don’t forget to take a photo and tag me on Instagram @naturallysweet_kitchen and use the hashtag #naturallysweetkitchen, so I can share your images! It makes my day to see these bakes come to life in your kitchen.

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Golden Milk Cupcakes

These golden milk cupcakes, topped with a creamy vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream and a drizzle of sugar-free caramel sauce, are a beautiful way to celebrate any occasion.

Category Cupcakes

Keyword golden milk

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Serves 15

Author Amanda | Naturally Sweet Kitchen

Ingredients

Golden Milk Cupcakes

• 160 g unbleached cake flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 80 g coconut oil softened to room temperature
• 180 g unpasteurised honey
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 90 ml coconut milk room temperature

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 170 ml unpasteurised honey or agave nectar
• 3 large egg whites
• 226 g cubed unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Quick Caramel Topping

• 50 g coconut sugar
• 25 g unsalted butter cubed
• 2 tbsp milk
• ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt

Method

Golden Milk Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) and line a regular cupcake tin with paper liners.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk lightly to combine.
3. Add the coconut oil and honey to a large bowl and cream together using a hand mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Crack in the egg, add the vanilla, and beat to combine.
5. While mixing on a low speed, add one third of the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until only a few streaks of flour remain. Pour in one half of the coconut milk and mix to combine. Repeat these steps, alternating between dry ingredients and coconut milk, ending on the dry ingredients.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the tops of the cakes are springy to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Allow the cakes to cool on a wire rack completely before decorating.

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

1. Set a small saucepan filled with an inch of water over a hob on high heat. Once the water is boiling, turn it down to a low simmer.

2. Pour the honey into a large, clean bowl along with the egg whites, taking care to avoid the yolks. Even a slight trace of yolk will ruin the meringue.

3. Whisk the egg whites and honey together until foamy, then place the bowl over the simmering saucepan and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and registers 65-71°C (150-160°F) on a thermometer.

4. Remove the bowl from the heat and beat the mixture on high using the balloon whisk of a stand mixer or an electric hand whisk.
5. Once the meringue reaches stiff peaks and the bowl is cool, begin adding the cubed butter, one piece at a time, on a medium speed. Do not rush this step; it helps to count to seven slowly before adding another pat of butter.
6. Once all of the butter has been added, add the vanilla paste. Then turn the mixer to a high speed and whip the buttercream until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

Quick Caramel Topping

1. Melt the butter into a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Whisk in the coconut sugar and milk and bring to a boil. Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and immediately whisk in the vanilla and salt.
4. Allow the caramel to stand and cool completely before decorating the cupcakes. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools. If it hardens on top, simply give it a quick stir with a spoon before using to smooth it out.

Assembly

1. Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost and decorate as desired. I used a Wilton 2D tip for the frosting and drizzled the caramel sauce over top with a small spoon.

Notes

These cupcakes are best served the day they are made. However, they will keep refrigerated and sealed in an airtight container for up to four days once assembled. Bring to room temperature before serving.