Today is my daughter's 3rd birthday. Her favorite cupcakes are vanilla with buttercream frosting...well, come to think of it...she likes every cupcake she's ever tried. But our family's favorite happens to be vanilla.
Jordyn helped me make these this morning after her big sisters went to school. Daddy and I took Jordyn to a special lunch at a Hibachi grill, which she didn't enjoy too much from all the "fire" shows our chef kept performing for our scared little girl. He was very friendly but must have mistaken her fear for laughter or something. Anyway, we came home and Jordyn took a nice long nap. When she woke up, she was ready for a cupcake NOW. Her big sisters got home soon after I finished taking all my blog pictures. So silly me decides she of course needs 3 candles on her birthday cupcake...yes, more fire. She cried halfway through her birthday song and wasn't getting anywhere near those candles to blow them out. I promptly removed the candles and she was all smiles again.
These are the same cupcakes that I made for Strawberry Shortcakes, which is my favorite dessert.
Cupcake Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 paper liners. In a large stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl to thoroughly combine all the ingredients together.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Add to the cream mixture, along with the milk, and mix until a smooth batter is formed. Use a large ice cream scoop to divide the batter evenly into the cupcake liners. Bake for 14-18 minutes until golden brown and the cupcakes spring back to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing and decorating.
Frosting Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
dash salt
food coloring gel
1/4 milk (add half, then add more as needed)
In a small mixing bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar until combined. Add the vanilla extract, salt, food coloring, and half of the milk. Beat slightly and decide how much more milk you will need to make frosting the right thickness. It needs to be fairly thick if piping, and not as thick when using a cake spatula to spread. Go ahead and add milk as needed. Beat at high speed until it forms a nice fluffy frosting, about 3-4 minutes. Pipe or spread icing on cupcakes and decorate as you like. We always have sprinkles and jimmys in our pantry. Enjoy!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE "J" and I'm so sorry about scaring you with more fire on your cupcake!!!
After using this recipe for just about every birthday or celebration we have had since 2011, I had to THANK YOU for keeping this recipe at the ready for me. You site feels like an old familiar friend. This and your marinara (which I cook monthly and keep in batches in the freezer) are main staples in our family. Whenever I bake for others, I'm often asked for the recipes. I always give you credit for making my cooking so good!! Thanks!
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