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Cupcakes: Ultimate Vanilla Cupcakes

Source of Recipe

From "Pure Vanilla" by Shauna Sever


Recipe Introduction

"Ah, the cupcake. It may be ubiquitous nowadays, but who doesn't feel happy when faced with a sweet, adorable, individually portioned treat? This pairing of light (but not preciously so) cake and creamy, not-too-sweet frosting strikes a perfect balance of tastes and textures."

List of Ingredients

For the cupcakes:
â—¦ ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
â—¦ ½ cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ 1½ teaspoons baking powder
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon salt
â—¦ ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, at room temperature
â—¦ 1 cup granulated sugar
â—¦ 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
â—¦ ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
â—¦ ½ cup sour cream
â—¦ 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk

For the frosting:
â—¦ 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
â—¦ 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon milk
â—¦ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
â—¦ â…› teaspoon salt
â—¦ 14 tablespoons (1¾ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, at cool room temperature
â—¦ 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or caviar of ½ teaspoon vanilla bean


Recipe

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat oven to 350° F. Line 15 wells of two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. Lightly brush vegetable oil around the edges of the wells (in case cupcakes rise over the liners).

Sift together flours, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean paste or caviar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

In a large measuring cup (for easy pouring), whisk together sour cream, eggs, and egg yolk until smooth. With the mixer running on medium-low speed, pour about half of the wet ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture, beating until smooth. Reduce mixer speed to low and stir in half of the flour mixture. Add half of the remaining wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Repeat with remaining dry and wet ingredients. Turn off mixer and fold batter by hand several times to make sure it is well mixed.

Fill muffin cups no more than two-thirds full of batter.
Bake until cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes; rotate pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Let cupcakes cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the frosting, place confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add milk, vanilla extract, and salt and mix on low speed until sugar is evenly moistened (it will still look quite dry). Add butter and gradually increase the speed from low to medium-high. Beat until fluffy and light in texture, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the vanilla bean paste or caviar during the last minute.
Frost the cooled cupcakes liberally.


Makes 15 frosted cupcakes



• For a smooth and sturdy frosting, don't let the butter get too warm before working with it. It should give when you press your finger into it, but still be cool to the touch and almost waxy in texture. If it looks shiny, it's too warm; chill it a bit before using.

• This recipe makes enough frosting to top each cupcake with a generous ½-inch layer. To create the dramatic frosting clouds seen in the photo, double the frosting recipe. Load the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip, and pipe the frosting in concentric circles.