Vanilla Cupcakes with Perfect Cupcake Frosting

Chocolate  or Vanilla?  Although I absolutely adore  my moist chocolate cupcake, I am a vanilla girl. Vanilla ice cream, vanilla cheesecake, vanilla jelly beans, and of course vanilla cupcakes.  There is something special about these pretty and white confections that  lure me into them.  Perhaps it’s their simplicity.  Vanilla is subtle and elegant compared to chocolate’s strong and bold flavor.  I remember this time when we were at a Mcdonald’s drive-through.  My sister ordered a hot fudge sundae together with her chicken sandwich.  I looked at her and asked  “Seriously?”….She looked at me in a funny way and asked me what the big deal was.  “Nothing” I said.  I told her that I was surprised she ordered a chocolate sundae over the caramel or the plain variety.  Well, it turned out that she was by that time already influenced by her officemates on choosing chocolate flavors over vanilla flavors in sweet treats.  Growing up, we always opted for vanilla instead of chocolate probably because of my mother who associated chocolate or chocolate flavored treats as something unhealthful because they seemed to be loaded with sugar.  I know that the majority would always choose chocolate over vanilla hands down…but hey, to each his own J.

Before you totally label yourself as a chocoholic, just try this recipe—An easy to make batch of moist vanilla cupcakes complemented with an equally easy to make perfect cupcake frosting is a heavenly delight. Like the other baked goodies in this blog, these elegant little cakes are not too sweet, yet they hit the spot for a light sugar craving.  Beginners in baking would love this recipe—since this is not a chiffon cake, no need to separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, then beating the latter to soft or stiff peaks.  No mixing and creaming of butter and sugar until mixture is  light and fluffy. Yey!  In other words, this recipe is so easy to make.  Frost these baby cakes with the Perfect Cupcake Frosting  (recipe follows), and see your family and friends treat you like a queen or rockstar. Or both. 

Vanilla  Cupcakes

(Based on a recipe from Glorious Treats)

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups cake flour ( 130 grams)

1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs (room temperature)

¾ cup granulated white sugar

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup oil (vegetable or palm oil)

½ cup fresh milk plus ½ teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice (Set aside for 5 minutes to curdle)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. In a medium bowl, sift cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt all together. 

    Mix well. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add eggs and beat 10-20 seconds.  Add sugar and  

    continue to beat on medium speed about 30 seconds.  Add vanilla and oil, beat

4. Remove bowl from mixer.  Mix in gently half of the flour mixture using a big rubber 

    spatula or wire whisk. Add half of the milk, then the rest of the flour, and then the rest

    of the milk.  Remember to always beat everything gently until mixture is smooth.

5. Strain mixture into a large measuring cup (I used my 4 cup capacity measuring cup).

6. Pour batter into a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill about 2/3 full.

7. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks before frosting)

This wonderful creamy vanilla icing is called by many names such as Flour Buttercream Frosting, Best Buttercream Frosting, Icing made with  Cooked Flour, and many others.

This is a scaled down version which lightly frosts 12 cupcakes.  You may want to double the recipe if you want piled high frosting.

Perfect Cupcake Frosting

Based on a recipe by Our Best Bites)

Yield: Frosts 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
1/2 C milk fresh milk
1/2 C salted butter
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (use the clear vanilla extract so that your frosting stays  white)


Directions:
 

1. Whisk flour and milk in saucepan. Over medium heat,  continue whisking until thick. 

2. Strain mixture. Cool in refrigerator until chilly.                                                             

3. Using a whisk attachment, beat butter and sugar in electric mixer 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy. 

    Use whisk attachment.                                                                                 

4. Add in the chilled milk mixture. Beat on medium to high speed for 7 – 8 minutes, stopping occasionally to  scrape in sides.