Vanilla & Vanilla Cupcakes

I have said before and I will say again, I am not a baker. You might notice this from the lack of baked goods I have blogged. If I bake it, I eat it, or I burn it.

This particular cupcake adventure did not start off well. I burned the 1st-- 24 cupcakes. I had forgotten that the last 2 times I have tried to make cupcakes I burned those too. I was using dark non-stick pans and they ruined all of my hard work. I was so angry because I could make an entire Thanksgiving meal for 20 and not burn a crumb but I cant make a cupcake if my life depended on it......until now. I had to go old school and I used the disposable metal muffin tins, re-purchased the missing ingredients and at 9:30 pm the night before Thanksgiving I started making them all over again. I was determined. They were heavenly perfection and now that I realized why I was having such trouble, I plan to bake some more. When the results are this amazing, I have no problem putting forth the efforts.

Vanilla Cupcakes

borrowed from Brown Eyed Baker

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 20 to 24 minutes

Ingredients

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon table salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature

½ cup sour cream

1 large egg , room temperature

2 large egg yolks , room temperature

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.

2. 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.

3. 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

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2½ cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. 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.

2. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of 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.

You can store any unused buttercream in the refrigerator in an airtight container; let it come to room temperature and then give it a quick whip in the mixer before using.