My friend Melissa is all about doing cupcakes right. For Valentine’s Day she made these insane raspberry-filled cupcakes that were dipped in chocolate and smothered in frosting. Even looking at her Instagram feed makes me gain five pounds. She’s kind of like my cooking mentor in the sense that she always comes up with fabulous taste combinations and meal-planning ideas that would put Martha Stewart to shame.
That’s a big thing for me to admit. I’m obsessed with Martha Stewart.
This particular baking session we decided to take the classic route and make some simply delicious vanilla cupcakes with pink frosting because, of course, it’s Melissa and we had to. But once you’ve mastered this recipe, the possibilities for variations on it are endless. Please experiment with all of the flavors. We dare you too!
Classic Vanilla Cupcakes (makes 36)
3 c. cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
1 ½ c. all-purpose flour
2 ¼ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp coarse salt
¾ tsp baking soda
9 oz. (2 sticks plus 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
2 ¼ c. sugar
5 large eggs plus 3 large yolks, room temperature
2 c. buttermilk, room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Mix remaining wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients and ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks. Cupcakes will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.
Happy baking!
B
Baking with B appears every other Monday on the Keeping Busy with B Blog. Find out why I like baking so much here. For more of my baking, click here. And for even more recipe inspiration, check out my Pinterest full of food eye candy that will have you licking your computer. Promise.
Wanna know more about turning this recipe into a cake? Read out about how I did it here. Baking cupcakes for a crowd? I’ve got tips on how to do it here.