Sex and the City Magnolia Cupcakes Recipe

My First Magnolia Cupcake

I first tried one in New York City. My granddaughter and I stood in a long line. The bakery smelled like sweet butter and sugar.

We split one vanilla cupcake with pink icing. It was so light and happy. I knew I had to make them at home. I still smile thinking of that day.

Why This Recipe Works

This recipe uses two kinds of flour. That is the secret. Self-rising flour makes them puff up nice and tall.

All-purpose flour makes them strong enough to hold all that icing. This matters because texture is everything. A good cupcake should feel soft in your hands.

Let’s Make the Batter

First, let your butter get soft. Leave it on the counter for an hour. This makes creaming it with sugar easy.

Add your eggs one at a time. Beat each one in fully. Doesn’t that yellow batter look sunny? Now mix in your flours and milk slowly. Do not overbeat! Just mix until you see no more white flour.

Fun fact: The vanilla in the batter is for smell. The vanilla in the icing is for taste. What is your favorite smell when you bake? Tell me, I’d love to know.

The Famous Pink Icing

The icing is pure joy. It starts with more soft butter. You add lots of powdered sugar and a splash of milk.

Beat it for a full five minutes. It gets fluffy like a cloud. Then you add a drop or two of pink food coloring. This matters. That pink color makes it feel like a celebration.

Baking and Sharing

Fill your cupcake liners three-quarters full. This gives them room to rise into a perfect dome. Bake them until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let them cool completely before icing. I know, it’s hard to wait! But warm cupcakes melt the icing. Do you like lots of sprinkles or just a few on top?

A Sweet Little Story

I once made these for my book club. I told them they were from the TV show. My friend Betty took one bite.

She closed her eyes and sighed. She said it tasted like a fancy party. That is the magic of a good cupcake. It makes an ordinary day feel special.

What is your favorite treat to share with friends? I always love hearing your stories.

Ingredients:

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Self-rising flour	1 1/2 cups
All-purpose flour	1 1/4 cups
Unsalted butter, softened	1 cup (2 sticks)	For the cupcake batter
Granulated sugar	2 cups
Large eggs, room temperature	4
Milk	1 cup	For the cupcake batter
Vanilla extract	1 teaspoon	For the cupcake batter
Vanilla Buttercream Icing
Unsalted butter, softened	1 cup (2 sticks)	For the icing
Confectioners’ sugar	6-8 cups
Milk	1/2 cup	For the icing
Vanilla extract	2 teaspoons	For the icing
Pink food coloring	As desired	Optional, for decoration
Sprinkles	As desired	For decoration

Magnolia Bakery’s Famous Cupcakes

Hello, my dear! Let’s bake some joy. These are the famous cupcakes from that TV show. I remember my granddaughter begging to make them. We had such a fun, messy afternoon. The kitchen smelled like a birthday party. Doesn’t that sound lovely?

Gather your ingredients. Having everything ready is my best tip. It makes the baking so peaceful. Now, let’s begin our step-by-step adventure. Follow along with me.

Step 1: First, heat your oven to 350°F. Line your muffin tins with pretty papers. I like the floral ones. In a bowl, mix your two flours together. Just give them a little stir. Set that bowl aside for now.

Step 2: Now, let’s cream the butter and sugar. Use your electric mixer on medium. Beat them until they look fluffy and pale. It takes about three minutes. I still laugh at that. My first time, I didn’t beat it enough. My cupcakes were flat as pancakes! (Hard-learned tip: Your butter must be soft. Leave it on the counter for an hour first.)

Step 3: Crack in the eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each one. This makes the batter nice and smooth. Next, we add the flour and milk. Add them in three parts, starting and ending with flour. Mix just until you can’t see flour anymore. Overmixing makes tough cupcakes!

Step 4: Spoon the batter into your liners. Fill them three-quarters full. This gives them room to rise into perfect domes. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. They’re done when a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. Let them cool completely before icing. What’s your favorite cupcake liner color? Share below!

Step 5: For the icing, beat the soft butter first. Add four cups of sugar, the milk, and vanilla. Beat until it’s dreamy and creamy. Then add more sugar until it’s thick and spreadable. Tint it a soft pink with food coloring. Swirl it on high with a knife. Finish with a handful of cheerful sprinkles.

Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes (with cooling)
Yield: About 24 cupcakes
Category: Dessert, Baking

Three Sweet Twists to Try

The classic recipe is perfect. But sometimes, it’s fun to play. Here are three simple twists for your next batch. Each one tells a different little story.

Lemon Sunshine: Add the zest of one lemon to the batter. Use lemon extract instead of vanilla in the icing. It’s so bright and fresh!

Berry Surprise: Place one fresh raspberry in the center of each cupcake before baking. It becomes a hidden, juicy treasure.

Cookies and Cream: Fold crushed chocolate sandwich cookies into the batter. Crush a few more to sprinkle on top of the icing.

Which one would you try first? Comment below!

Serving with a Smile

These cupcakes are a celebration all by themselves. But here’s how I like to make them extra special. For a party, arrange them on a tall cake stand. It looks so fancy! You could also serve them with a little bowl of fresh berries on the side. A sweet berry with each bite is heavenly.

What to drink? For the grown-ups, a little glass of champagne is lovely. The bubbles cut through the sweet icing. For everyone, a cold glass of milk is the classic choice. Or a cup of milky tea. It just feels right. Which would you choose tonight?

Keeping Cupcakes Fresh and Happy

Let’s talk about keeping these sweet treats fresh. First, cool cupcakes completely. Any warmth will make the icing melt. Store them in a sealed container at room temperature for two days. For the freezer, wrap each unfrosted cupcake tightly in plastic. They will keep for two months. Thaw them on the counter before frosting.

I once iced cupcakes before freezing them. What a sticky mess! The frosting was ruined. Now I always freeze them plain. Batch cooking is a wonderful idea. Bake a double batch of cupcakes. Freeze half for a future surprise. This saves so much time on busy days.

Having a treat ready matters. It brings a little joy when you need it most. It turns an ordinary Tuesday into a small celebration. Have you ever tried storing cupcakes this way? Share your tips below!

Simple Fixes for Common Cupcake Troubles

Even grandmas have baking days that go sideways. Here are easy fixes. If your cupcakes are dense, you may have over-mixed the batter. Mix just until you see no more dry flour. I remember when my first batch was like little bricks. I learned to be gentle with the batter.

If the tops dome too much, your oven might be too hot. An oven thermometer helps a lot. If your icing is too runny, add more powdered sugar slowly. If it’s too thick, add a teaspoon of milk. Getting the texture right matters. It makes decorating fun instead of frustrating.

Perfect cupcakes build your kitchen confidence. You learn that mistakes are just lessons. Which of these problems have you run into before? Let’s solve them together.

Your Cupcake Questions, Answered

Q: Can I make these gluten-free? A: Yes. Use a good gluten-free flour blend made for baking.

Q: Can I make parts ahead? A: Absolutely. Make the batter a few hours early. Keep it chilled in the fridge.

Q: What if I don’t have self-rising flour? A: For one cup, mix 1 cup all-purpose flour with 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt.

Q: Can I halve the recipe? A: You can. Just halve all the ingredients exactly. You’ll get about 12 lovely cupcakes.

Q: Any extra tips? A: Room temperature ingredients mix better. *Fun fact: This is why my butter always sits on the counter before baking.* Which tip will you try first?

Bake, Share, and Enjoy

I hope you love baking these as much as I do. The best part is sharing them. Wrap one up for a friend who needs a smile. Leave one on the kitchen counter for your family. I would love to see your creations. Your swirl might be even prettier than mine!

Share your baking story with me. Have you tried this recipe? Tag us on Pinterest @ChloesKitchen! I look at every single photo. Thank you for spending this time in my kitchen.

Happy cooking!
—Chloe Hartwell.