Olive Oil Cupcakes Black Currant Frosting (Printable)

Moist olive oil cupcakes with tangy black currant cream cheese frosting—perfect for elegant entertaining.

# What You Need:

→ 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, room temperature
07 - 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
08 - 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
09 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
10 - Zest of 1 lemon, optional

→ 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

# How-To:

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.
04 - Gradually whisk olive oil into the egg mixture until smooth and fully combined.
05 - Stir in milk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest if using.
06 - Gently fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
07 - Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners, filling each approximately two-thirds full.
08 - Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
09 - Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
10 - Beat softened butter and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy.
11 - Add powdered sugar gradually, beating until fluffy and light.
12 - Mix in black currant jam, lemon juice, and salt. Beat until fully incorporated and frosting is light and spreadable.
13 - Generously frost cooled cupcakes with black currant frosting. Garnish with additional black currants or lemon zest as desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The olive oil keeps these cupcakes moist for days without that dense, heavy feeling you get from butter-heavy cakes.
  • That black currant frosting tastes fancy enough to impress but comes together faster than you'd think, making you feel like an actual pastry chef.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients aren't just a suggestion—they actually emulsify together instead of creating little pockets of separated texture that ruin the crumb.
  • Don't overmix the batter once you add the flour; the moment you see no more white streaks, you're done, even if it feels like you should mix more.
03 -
  • If your cream cheese frosting looks too soft, pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes while you finish frosting—it firms up just enough to look intentional and professional.
  • Using an ice cream scoop to divide batter evenly among liners ensures all cupcakes bake at the same rate and look uniform, which feels like a small victory when they come out of the oven.
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