Classic birthday party fare!
For a low-carb chocolate cupcake, aka, “minute muffin,” click here.
Vanilla Cupcakes
Yields 24 cupcakes
CUPCAKES
3 cups (12 ounces) cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ⅓ cups sugar
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
VANILLA FROSTING
¾ pound unsalted butter (3 sticks), at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon table salt
CHOCOLATE FROSTING
2 ½ sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
2 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon table salt
FOR THE CUPCAKES
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 standard muffin/cupcake tins with paper or foil cupcake liners.
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl until combined. Whisk eggs and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. In steady stream, pour sugar into eggs, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in melted butter, then add buttermilk. Add one-third of dry ingredients to bowl with wet ingredients. Using whisk, gently combine; a few streaks of flour should remain. Repeat twice with remaining dry ingredients. Continue to gently stir batter with whisk until most lumps are gone. Do not over-mix.
Fill cupcake liners about two-thirds full. Bake, with tins side by side on middle rack, until cupcakes just begin to color and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool pans on wire racks for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes from pans, place back on rack, and cool to room temperature before frosting, about 1 hour.
FOR THE VANILLA FROSTING
Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 30 seconds. With mixer on low speed, add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and mix to combine. Increase speed to high and beat until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium-low and add milk, vanilla, and salt. Increase speed to high and beat until fluffy, 30 more seconds.
If the frosting gets too soft while you ice the cupcakes, put the frosting back in the fridge for about 10 minutes.
FOR THE CHOCOLATE FROSTING
Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 30 seconds. With mixer on low speed, add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and cocoa powder and mix to combine. Beat in melted chocolate and increase speed to high, beating until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium-low and add milk, vanilla, and salt. Increase speed to high and beat until fluffy, 30 more seconds.
If the frosting gets too soft while you ice the cupcakes, put the frosting back in the fridge for about 10 minutes.
NOTE—Store unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Cupcakes are best served the day they are frosted. This recipe can easily be cut in half to yield 12 cupcakes.