Sex and the City Magnolia Cupcakes Recipe

A Little Slice of TV History

These cupcakes are famous. They were on a big TV show about friends in New York. People would wait in line for them.

I love that a simple cupcake became a star. It reminds me that good food brings people together. That is a sweet thought, isn’t it?

Grandma’s Mixing Bowl Wisdom

Let’s start the batter. Cream the butter and sugar well. It should look fluffy and light. This makes the cupcakes soft.

Add the eggs one by one. This helps them mix in smoothly. Now, add your dry and wet ingredients slowly. Don’t overbeat! Just mix until it’s combined. I still tap my spoon on the bowl to get every bit.

The Secret to a Happy Oven

Fill your liners three-quarters full. This gives them space to rise into a perfect dome. They bake for about 20 minutes.

Your kitchen will smell amazing. The cupcakes are done when a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool completely. I know it’s hard to wait! Frosting a warm cupcake is a messy mistake.

What’s your favorite smell from the kitchen? Is it baking cupcakes, or maybe fresh bread?

Cloud-Like Pink Frosting

The frosting is just butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla. Start with four cups of sugar. Beat it until it’s creamy. Then add more sugar until it’s thick and spreadable.

Now for the fun part. Add a few drops of pink food coloring. Fun fact: The original bakery uses a special shade of pastel pink. It just looks happy. Making food pretty is part of the joy.

The Final Flourish

Frost them generously. Use your knife to make a little swirl on top. This is the Magnolia signature. Then, add sprinkles! The sprinkles are the best part, I think.

This matters because the care you put in shows. It turns a snack into a gift. For yourself or for someone else. Do you like lots of sprinkles, or just a few?

More Than Just a Treat

I once made these for my granddaughter’s birthday. She felt so fancy. That’s the magic of a special cupcake.

This matters because food is a memory. Baking is about sharing joy. It’s not just following a recipe. It’s about creating a sweet moment. What’s a food that makes you think of a happy memory?

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 cupcakes
Granulated sugar	2 cups
Large eggs	4	Room temperature
Milk	1 cup
Vanilla extract	1 teaspoon	For the cupcakes
Unsalted butter, softened	1 cup (2 sticks)	For the Vanilla Buttercream Icing
Confectioners’ sugar	6-8 cups
Milk	1/2 cup	For the icing
Vanilla extract	2 teaspoons	For the icing
Pink food coloring	As needed	For decoration
Sprinkles	As needed	For decoration

My Famous Pink Cloud Cupcakes

Hello, my dear! Let’s bake my famous pink cloud cupcakes. They remind me of my first trip to New York. I saw a huge pink cake in a bakery window. It looked like a happy dream. I came home and baked my own version. Doesn’t that smell amazing? The secret is in the fluffy butter and sugar. We call that “creaming.” It makes the cupcakes light as a cloud.

Here is how we make the magic happen. Follow these steps with me. I still laugh at that time I used salt instead of sugar. What a mess! Let’s avoid that. Ready your bowls and a happy heart.

• Step 1: First, warm up your oven to 350 degrees. Line your muffin tins with pretty papers. Now, mix your two flours together in a small bowl. Just give them a little stir. Set that bowl aside for later. This is our dry team.
• Step 2: Now for the fun part! Take your soft butter. Put it in a big mixing bowl. Beat it until it’s smooth and creamy. Slowly add the white sugar. Keep mixing for three minutes. It will become pale and fluffy. (A hard-learned tip: Your butter must be soft! If it’s cold, the mix will be lumpy.)
• Step 3: Crack in the eggs, one at a time. Mix well after each one. This gives the cake strength. Now, add your dry team and milk. Add them in turns: some flour, then milk, then flour. Mix just until you don’t see flour anymore. Do you know what happens if you mix too much? The cupcakes get tough!
• Step 4: Spoon the batter into your papers. Fill them three-quarters full. This is important. They need room to rise into perfect little domes. Bake them for 20 to 25 minutes. They are done when a toothpick poked in the middle comes out clean. Let them cool completely. I know, it’s hard to wait!
• Step 5: Time for the pink cloud icing! Beat the soft butter with four cups of powdered sugar. Add the milk and vanilla. Beat until it’s silky. Then add more sugar until it’s thick and spreadable. Now, add a few drops of pink food coloring. Swirl it high on each cupcake. Top with sprinkles for joy. What’s your favorite sprinkle color? Share below!

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

Three Sweet Twists to Try

Once you master the classic, try a little twist. It makes baking an adventure. My granddaughter loves to invent new versions. Here are three of our favorites.

• Lemon Sunshine: Add lemon zest to the batter. Use yellow food coloring in the icing. It tastes like a bright summer day.
• Berry Blast: Fold fresh raspberries into the batter. Their little pink bursts are a delicious surprise in every bite.
• Chocolate Swirl: Add two tablespoons of cocoa to half the batter. Swirl it with the plain batter for a marbled look.

Which one would you try first? Comment below!

Serving with a Smile

These cupcakes are a celebration all by themselves. But I love to make a moment special. For a party, place them on a tall cake stand. It feels so fancy. Add a tiny fresh flower on top of one or two. It looks so pretty.

What to drink? A cold glass of milk is always perfect. It’s a classic for a reason. For the grown-ups, a little glass of champagne is lovely. The bubbles cut through the sweet icing beautifully. Which would you choose tonight?

Keeping Cupcakes Fresh and Happy

Let’s talk about keeping these sweet treats perfect. First, cool cupcakes completely before storing. I learned this the hard way. I once iced a warm cupcake. The frosting melted into a sad pink puddle!

Store frosted cupcakes in a single layer. Use a container with a tight lid. They will stay fresh on the counter for two days. You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes for up to three months.

Just wrap them well in plastic wrap. Thaw them overnight before frosting. Batch cooking saves time for busy weeks. It also means you always have a sweet treat ready for guests.

Have you ever tried storing cupcakes this way? Share your tips below!

Simple Fixes for Common Cupcake Troubles

Sometimes baking can be tricky. But do not worry. Here are easy fixes for common problems. First, 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 grandson mixed for five minutes straight. We got little muffin-shaped rocks! Second, if your frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar.

If it is too thick, add a teaspoon of milk. Getting the texture right matters. It makes frosting fun and easy for everyone. Third, if your cupcakes stick to the liner, let them cool fully.

This helps them pull away nicely. A perfect peel makes eating them even more joyful. Which of these problems have you run into before?

Your Cupcake Questions, Answered

Q: Can I make these gluten-free? A: Yes! Use a good gluten-free flour blend. Replace both flours with the same total amount.

Q: Can I make them ahead? A: Absolutely. Bake the cakes one day. Make the frosting and decorate the next day.

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

Q: Can I make a smaller batch? A: You can cut all ingredients in half. This makes about 12 lovely cupcakes.

Q: Are the sprinkles needed? A: They are optional but so fun. *The original bakery sold these with plain white frosting!* Which tip will you try first?

Bake Some Joy and Share It

I hope you love baking these as much as I do. There is nothing like sharing homemade cupcakes. It spreads a little sweetness in the world.

I would love to see your creations. Did you pick pink frosting or another color? Did you choose fun sprinkles? Show me your kitchen magic.

Have you tried this recipe? Tag us on Pinterest @ChloesKitchen! I cannot wait to see your beautiful cupcakes. Happy cooking!

—Chloe Hartwell.