Vanilla Vanilla cupcakes for me seem sometimes…too…vanilla? However, my one friend LOVES white on white cakes and cupcakes. And in honor of her, I wanted to make her some cupcakes. I did a lot of research on what recipe was THE BEST vanilla cupcake recipe. It seemed that the recipe from Magnolia bakery has a lot of buzz and love, and when I was about to print that recipe, I found on The Kitchn and some other cupcake blogs that this recipe from Billy’s Bakery beat the Magnolia recipe, hands down. So I decided to make these, instead. And they did not disappoint. I tasted one slightly warm from the oven and it just melted in my mouth. Delicious!
I tweaked this because I did not have a paddle attachment for my mixer, and I used salted v.s. unsalted butter. The odd thing about these cupcakes is the start of the batter. You mush the butter into the flour mixture with a fork, almost similar to the theory of making flaky pie crusts. The addition of the cake flour with the regular adds to a light, delicate texture. The key is to not over mix these gems. And take them out when they are just getting light golden edges. Let them cool completely before frosting.
Billy’s Vanilla Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes about 30 cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, softened
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine flours, sugar, baking powder with a fork. Add butter, mixing and mushing with a fork until just coated with flour and crumbly.
2. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat.
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about two-thirds full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.
4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.
Billy’s Vanilla Butter Cream
Makes enough for 30 cupcakes
Ingredients:
Colored or white sprinkles, for decorating (optional)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
6 to 9 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions:
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream 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 -3 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.
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