Vanilla Cupcakes

My niece sent me a text and wanted me to make cupcakes for her.  She was not feeling well and they were coming over to watch movies and eat cupcakes.  I just love it when I get a request from my nieces.  I have not made cupcakes in years and will definitely have to come up with a recipe for her request.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment.

Add butter, sour cream, egg and egg yolks, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds.

Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.

Divide batter evenly among cups of prepared tin.  Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes.  Remove the cupcakes from tin and transfer to wire rack; cool cupcakes to room temperature before frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Yield: Enough to frost 12 cupcakes

• 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoons vanilla extract

Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice.  Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar.  Once all the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated.  Whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.

Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.  It’s time to frost the cupcakes and my niece is here to frost her cupcakes.  This is her first time to use a piping bag.

The cupcakes came out better than expected.  The next time I prepare this, I will cut the amount of sugar to 1/4 cup granulated and 1/4 cup turbinado sugar.  My niece tells her mom “look auntie made homemade vanilla buttercream frosting for me!”  We decided to add Godiva chocolate liqueur, almond extract, and a little cocoa powder. I’m so glad she loved the cupcakes.  The cupcakes came out very light, fluffy, and moist. Delicious…Yummy!!!