Classic Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe With Vanilla Buttercream

VANILLA CUPCAKES WITH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cups into 24 muffin pan cups; set aside.
• Combine flour, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt in bowl; set aside.
• Beat sugar and 1 cup butter in another bowl at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until creamy. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla; mix well. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, beating at low speed after each addition, just until mixed.
• Divide batter evenly among paper baking cups. Bake 16-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes in pans; remove to cooling racks. Cool completely.
• Combine powdered sugar, 1 1/2 cups butter and 1/8 teaspoon salt in bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add half & half and 1 tablespoon vanilla; continue beating until smooth. Frost cupcakes as desired.

VANILLA CUPCAKES WITH VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 liners.
• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
• In a large mixing bowl whisk the sugar and melted butter until smooth (mixture will be gritty). Whisk in eggs, then sour cream, milk and vanilla extract until combined.
• Slowly add in dry ingredients and stir until completely incorporated. Batter will be thick.
• Fill cupcake lines ⅔ of the way full (about ¼ cup of batter). Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool completely before frosting.
• Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (or a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer), beat butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy; 2-3 minutes.
• Add confectioners sugar, vanilla and milk. Turn mixer up to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. If mixture is too thick, add more milk, a teaspoon at a time. If too thin, add more confectioners sugar, a little at a time.
• Frost cooled cupcakes using a spreader or a piping bag. Depending on how much frosting you use on each cupcake, there may be some leftover.

VANILLA CUPCAKES WITH BUTTERCREAM ICING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated; scrape down sides of bowl, and beat in vanilla.
• Add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.
• Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.
• For the hat, score a circle in center of cupcake. Cut a cone with knife at an angle, rotating cupcake as you go. Using a wide round piping tip or a resealable plastic bag with one corner cut off, pipe buttercream into the cavity and on top for the head. Use gumdrops for the collar and a cinnamon candy for the nose; insert chocolate sprinkles for eyes. Use more buttercream and multicolored sprinkles to create a pom-pom for the hat.

CLASSIC VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• In a small clean dry saucepan, place 2 cups sugar and then pour 1/2 cup water down the sides of the pan. Make an X in the sugar with 1 finger to encourage the water to seep into the middle of the pan of sugar. Bring to a boil and cook until softball stage or 235 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
• Meanwhile, in a mixer with a whip attachment, whip the whites until they form soft peaks. When the syrup is up to temperature, drizzle it down the wall of the mixing bowl with the mixer running. Continue whipping until light, fluffy and almost cooled down. Start adding the butter a few cubes at a time to cool the frosting and thicken it. When it gets thick you can stop adding butter; you may not use the whole pound (it depends on how much water you cooked out of your syrup). Add vanilla extract to taste.

BASIC VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.