Classic Vanilla Cupcakes With Whipped Buttercream Food

SIMPLY PERFECT VANILLA CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2 liners-this recipe makes about 14 cupcakes. Set aside.
• Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg whites, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and combined, at least 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed and then beat in the sour cream. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk until combined. Do not over-mix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
• Pour/spoon the batter into the liners-fill only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides. Bake for 19-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For around 30-36 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11-13 minutes, same oven temperature. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
• Frost cooled cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. You can swipe the frosting on with an icing knife or use a piping tip such as Wilton 1M. Leftover cupcakes keep well covered tightly in the refrigerator for 3 days.

VANILLA CUPCAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. On medium speed, beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Add milk and beat until combined. Add the other half of the dry ingredients and beat slowly or fold by hand only until combined. Do not over mix - the less you mix, the lighter the cake will be.
• Divide batter evenly between the cups, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes (or 8-10 minutes if making mini cupcakes) until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Allow cupcakes to sit for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Unfrosted cupcakes can be kept tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw, still covered, on the counter or overnight in the fridge.

CLASSIC VANILLA CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Cupcakes
• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In separate bowl and using electric mixer, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, incorporating each one fully before adding the next one; beat in vanilla.
• With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in 3 parts alternately with milk in 2 parts, starting and ending with flour mixture, and scraping bowl as needed between additions.
• Spoon or scoop batter into prepared muffin cups, about two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until tester comes out clean when inserted into centre of cupcakes. Let cool completely on rack.
• Frosting
• Beat butter until light and fluffy. With mixer on low speed, beat in icing sugar, cream, vanilla and salt until smooth, adding up to 2 tbsp (30 mL) more cream if needed. Increase speed to high; beat for 1 to 2 minutes or until frosting is light and fluffy.
• Add frosting to piping bag fitted with round tip; pipe over cupcakes. Alternatively, spoon frosting into resealable bag and clip off one corner to pipe over cupcakes, or spoon onto cupcakes.

THE BEST VANILLA CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Position two racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with 18 cupcake liners.
• Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl until combined. Add the butter, sugar, oil and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, until completely combined and smooth. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
• Divide the batter evenly in the prepared muffin tins. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, rotating the tins halfway through baking time, 18 to 20 minutes.
• Cool the cupcakes in the tins on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the tins and cool on the rack completely.
• For the frosting: Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low and gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar until completely smooth. With the motor running, add the heavy cream, vanilla and salt. Increase the speed to high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag or large resealable plastic bag fitted with a large star tip. Decoratively pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.