Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

There is something about having a whole cake just to yourself, albeit small in size.I am a dessert person but cupcakes to me is a level higher than just desserts. Luckily my son shares my passion of cakes and his favorite is vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting and sprinkles on top.

I had read a lot of good reviews about Restaurant Eve's Cake and had wanted to try it out. I must say I am not at all disappointed with the results. The cake was easy to put together - you do not have to wait for the butter to soften - and tasted wonderful. It was very moist and yet light and airy. The star of the recipe though was the frosting, I do not have words to describe it, well lets just say this will be my go to frosting from now on. It is sweet but not cloyingly sweet and the addition of the heavy cream turns it into a silky, smooth  dollop of goodness with just the right amount of sweetness. The instructions say to beat both the cake batter and frosting a good deal as this is the way to incorporate the necessary air into the batter.

Do try this recipe, especially if you have a cake lover in your house. I know I definitely will be making these again just to see the look of pure joy on my son's face and to hear him say again ' Mommy you make the best cupcakes in the whole world ! ' . And even though it may not be the best cupcake in the whole world it just makes my day to hear him say that.


Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

8 ounces / 2 sticks of unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup whole fat milk ( can be either low fat or nonfat)

For the Frosting:

8 ounces / 2 sticks unsalted butter ( just about at room temperature )
2 pounds of confectioners' sugar ( ie 2 boxes of Domino 10 x Confectioners Sugar )
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the cupcake pans with cupcake liners. I prefer not to spray the liners as this helps the cupcake adhere to the cupcake liner better.
2. Melt the butter and bring it to room temperature.
3. In the bowl of your Stand Mixer or any other large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
4. On medium speed for the Stand Mixer and medium high speed for the hand mixer combine the butter a little at a time into the flour. The mixture should be crumbly in texture. Beat for 2 minutes or until combined
5. In a separate mixing bowl , beat together the eggs, vanilla extract and cream until it combines. Now add half of this mixture to the flour mixture. Beat for 2 minutes, scrape the bowl down and add the remaining egg mixture and beat again for another 2 minutes. Do not skimp on the beating / whisking as this is the only way  to incorporate some air.
6. Using a ice cream scoop or any other large spoon, fill the cupcake liners 1/2 to 2/3 fill.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops look firm and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
8. Remove from oven and transfer the cupcakes unto a cooling rack. If you leave them in their baking pans for too long steam will form between the cupcake and the pan and loosen the cupcake liner.
9. Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

1. In a  Stand Mixer  on medium speed or a Hand Mixer at medium high speed, beat the butter until light and fluffy.
2. Lower the speed and add the sugar. Increase the speed once the sugar is added. Incorporate all of the sugar in several stages. I generally add 1 to 1 1/2 cup at a time.
3. Scrape the bowl down and gently stream in the vanilla extract and heavy cream in on low speed . Beat for 8-10 minutes on high speed until frosting becomes light and fluffy. The frosting is now ready to be piped.
4. Place a generous dollop of frosting on your cupcake and smooth the top with an  offset spatula. Add some sprinkles on top to finish it. Now take a bite and feel the love.........