White Almond Sour Cream Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
This is the 2nd year in a row that I have participated in 1,000 Cooks for the Cure, an event run by KitchenAid. The main goal is to promote breast cancer awareness and raise funds. I’m proud to participate in honor of both my grandmother and my friend, Pam, who are both survivors.
It’s really easy to participate, just register here. Throw a bunko party, book club party or even an Olympic viewing party and ask your guests to donate to a great cause. I’m in a bunko group and we take turns hosting – my month has been July for a couple of years and it works out perfectly because I combine it as a fundraising effort for 1,000 Cooks for the Cure! I’m so excited that we raised $110 this year! 
It was a blast! Every person brings a dish to share and it was so fun to have some fellow bloggers attend as well. Suzanne brought guacamole stuffed cherry tomatoes, Katie brought these cute little shrimp salad croissants and Kelly brought one of my favorites, extra spicy chicken wings. Huge oops on my part, I didn’t take any pictures! Thanks to Curtis for snapping this shot of us four at the end of the night.
I made smoked salmon rangoon and these cupcakes. I’ll share the rangoon recipe soon! These cupcakes, white almond sour cream (aka WASC), I have been making this cake recipe for special occasion cakes and it’s a favorite recipe among many cake decorators. As a cake, to be honest it’s a little bit dry for my taste so I use a cake decorator trick, before frosting it or stacking it, I brush the top of the cake with a little bit of simple syrup. This ensures the cake is and stays moist.
This is the first time I made them as cupcakes. And I topped them with Miette’s cream cheese frosting (which I upped the recipe a little to ensure enough frosting for all of the cupcakes). I can honestly say it’s the best cream cheese frosting I have ever had. If you’re ever in San Francisco, stop by their bakery and have their gingerbread cupcake. Or get their cookbook and make them! To die for!
White Almond Sour Cream Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Yield: approx 30 cupcakes
Prep Time: 50 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Total Time: 1 hr 10 min
Ingredients:
White Almond Sour Cream Cupcakes
1 box white cake mix (I used a French Vanilla white cake)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp salt
4 egg whites
1 1/4 cups water
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup (8oz carton) sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
3 cups (1 1/2 pounds) cream cheese, softened
1 cup plus 1/2 Tbsp (8.25 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (8.25 oz) sifted powdered sugar
Directions:
White Almond Sour Cream Cupcakes
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
Add all dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix together thoroughly with a whisk. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl and using a hand mixer, mix on low for about 2 minutes. Using a large cookie scoop, fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.
Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Allow cupcakes to cool in cupcake tin on a cooling rack before removing and allowing to cool the rest of the way on cooling racks.
Cream Cheese Frosting
In your stand mixer bowl, add butter and sugar. Attach the paddle attachment and cream together until smooth and shiny.
Add the cream cheese and mix thoroughly until completely smooth, about 2-3 minutes. If not using immediately, refrigerate until needed. Using an offset spatula, thoroughly mix the frosting after removing the refrigerator before frosting cupcakes. Cupcakes frosted with this icing should be refrigerated if not being consumed immediately. Makes 3 cups of frosting.
White Almond Sour Cream Cake from Cake Central and Cream Cheese Frosting from Miette, 2011 Chronicle Books
Disclosure: I participated in 1,000 Cooks for the Cure because I’m passionate about the breast cancer cause. And just wanted to let you know that there’s an affiliate link in this post.
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Hi, my name is Julie and I love to share the cooking and baking adventures from my little kitchen. Cooking and baking is in my blood, thanks to my Mom! 
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Love that you did the 1000 cooks event.
And these, yummy! And a little use of cake mix – love it. I am a big fan of shortcuts and cake mix! And sour cream makes everything better!
Fantastic looking cupcakes for such a good cause! I love the combination of almond cake with that cream cheese frosting (and I can’t wait to go to Miette when we’re in SF next month, your advice is duly noted)
Julie Deily replied: July 30th, 2012 @ 1:01 pm
You’ll love that place!! Have fun!!
Mmm these look like such a treat!
Such amazing flavors in these + so beautiful too!
These cupcakes were awesome Julie! Steve and the kids loved them!!! Thanks for inviting me to bunko. It was fun to hang out with you and the other girls.
Julie, those cupcakes look so sweet! Congrats on raising money for such a great cause!
Those cupcakes….those CUPCAKES!
Gorgeous and pretty and delicious!
i’m sorry but these are not real cupcakes, especially when you use cake mix in a box .
i would like to see a good recipe from scratch.
Julie Deily replied: July 26th, 2012 @ 11:21 am
Hi Fred or Frank, do you mean they are not entirely homemade then? I’ll give you that but they are still real because they exist! Thanks for your comment or whatever that was.
Those are some gorgeous cupcakes – and that frosting has me wishing I had a bowl right now.
I love this cause… thanks for bringing awareness to it!
They look great, Julie! I don’t get the comment that they are not real cupcakes. What, are they made of plastic? If it’s edible, and it’s in cupcake form, then it is a cupcake!
I’ve just got to say… some people are so rude.
Anyhow, these are BEAUTIFUL! I’ve made WASC before and loved it. I wish we actually had cake mix here so that I could make these. Your pictures are amazing! So are the liners. And the cake stand. And the piping. Love it all!
Gorgeous Julie!! What a beautiful and I know delicious recipe! I just adore everything you do!
gorgeous Julie!! I use box cake mixes all the time……..all of your dry ingredients are perfectly pre-measured for you! I had a pastry chef tell me once it was the best way to make a good cake at home!
These cupcakes were amazing, so amazing you’d never know that this partly comes from a box! Thanks again for hosting– I had a wonderful time.
Oh my gosh Julie! SUCH a pretty presentation!
I love sour cream – the name of these is just so appetizing. The pink is gorgeous and I’m sure that they tasted even more delicious as they were for a good cause!
Congratulations on all your fund raising! Your cupcakes look gorgeous, your frosting is so neat!
I absolutely love these! And I bet that sour cream makes these babies really fluffy! And that cream cheese frosting?! How did you know that was my favorite?!
This is such a great cause, Julie, and you are great for bringing awareness to it, especially with these cupcakes. And bunko is a great idea for a fundraising party!
I was looking for a good WASC recipe for my daughter’s birthday party. Great timing! These look delicious!
Julie Deily replied: July 30th, 2012 @ 2:00 pm
So glad to hear, if you’re making a cake, follow that link I included in the recipe because I halved the recipe! Happy birthday to your daughter!
Oh my yum! I can just imagine that sour cream cuts the sweetness and complements the other flavors perfectly!
I love your cupcakes! Wow, those are GORGEOUS!!! What a great event to hold each year too. You inspire me, Julie! Keep the great recipes comin’!
What a great platform for birthday cupcakes. All you need it sprinkles and candles!
oh love these Julie! I pinned them and tweeted for you. So worth sharing
You have me freakin’ over these cupcakes! They look perfect in every way (especially the size… though, it’s kind of dangerous… I’d probably eat three of those).
What a great recipe for a wonderful cause. Your photo is beautiful!
These sound and look delicious. It’s not how you make the cupcake, it how they taste and if everyone enjoys them. . .then GREAT!!!
btw-I’m a scratch cupcake baker, but that’s only because I like a heavier crumb I cannot acheive with box. But guess what? Mine are no more real than yours.
You are baking and making others smile with it AND raising money for a great cause—Go Julie!!
Love the lead shot by the window-so pretty!
What GORGEOUS cupcakes!!! And the flavors going on – these are simply LOVELY and the perfect toast to a wonderful celebration!!!!
I think your participation in this event is great and the pink and white wrappers are just perfect! I am not a vanilla cupcake girl, but the almond twist might be nice and I love the cream cheese frosting.
Great looking cupcakes, I use the syrup trick a lot which can make it super tasty.
Awesome cause too!
These cupcakes are gorgeous! What a great cause and fun get together!
So pretty
My desserts never look so pretty. They are more the utilitarian “just eat me already” kind…lol
Those are simply gorgeous & for SUCH a great cause xoxo
Those look so fantastic. I am going to add them to my Mouth Watering Mondays post this Monday. Come on over to see them at http://www.noshingwiththenolands.com Cheers, Tara
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