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Cupcakes: Easy Birthday Cupcakes

Source of Recipe


Cook's Country






List of Ingredients



• 3 cups cake flour
  
• 1 tsp baking powder
  
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
  
• 1-1/3 cups sugar
  
• 12 Tbsp (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  
• 1-1/4 cups buttermilk
  






Instructions



1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325° F. Line 2 standard muffin/cupcake tins with paper or foil cupcake liners.
   
   
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl until combined. Whisk eggs and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. In steady stream, pour sugar into eggs, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in melted butter, then add buttermilk. Add one-third of dry ingredients to bowl with wet ingredients. Using whisk, gently combine; a few streaks of flour should remain. Repeat twice with remaining dry ingredients. Continue to gently stir batter with whisk until most lumps are gone. Do not overmix.
   
   
3. Fill cupcake liners about two-thirds full. Bake, with tins side by side on middle rack, until cupcakes just begin to color and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool pans on wire racks for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes from pans, place back on rack, and cool to room temperature before frosting, about 1 hour.
   
   Makes 24 cupcakes.
   
   ............
   
   Frost with:
   
   QUICK VANILLA FROSTING
   
   • 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
   • 3 cups confectioners' sugar
   • 2 Tbsp milk
   • 2 tsp vanilla extract
   • 1/8 tsp salt
   
   Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 30 seconds. With mixer on low speed, add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and mix to combine. Increase speed to high and beat until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium-low and add milk, vanilla and salt. Increase speed to high and beat until fluffy, 30 more seconds.
   
   Makes about 4 cups,
   enough to generously frost 24 cupcakes.
   
   
   QUICK CHOCOLATE FROSTING
   Melt 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips in small bowl and set aside to cool slightly. Follow recipe for Quick Vanilla Frosting, reducing butter to 2-1/2 sticks and replacing 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar with 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder. Once sugar and cocoa have been added, beat in melted chocolate, and proceed as directed.