sweet treats: vanilla cupcake perfection

6.08.2011
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler”- Albert Einstein


 This is Michele of Cakewalk Baking, and I have been on the quest for the perfect vanilla cupcake and frosting for years. It seems like every recipe I tested was somehow lacking – too dry, bland, inconsistent. I couldn’t find a satisfying vanilla frosting either – too sweet, too buttery, too shorteningy...

When I made my “to do list” for the year, perfecting my vanilla cupcake & frosting recipes was high on my priority list. I’ve tried Magnolia and Billy’s and countless others, but I was never completely thrilled with the results.

When I came across Amy Sedaris’ (one of my favorite actresses) recipe, I thought it was worth a shot. To my surprise, they were pretty much perfect. My only complaint was that they were a little too dense for my liking. With a couple of tweaks, including substituting the all-purpose flour for cake flour, I got the results I was looking for – tender, moist, and flavorful!


For the frosting, my go-to has always been Swiss Meringue buttercream which I love because it’s light, has the perfect texture and tastes great – as long as you are adding some other flavor (like lemon, espresso, chocolate) to it. When just adding vanilla extract, it was a little blah and overly buttery tasting. After lots of experimentation, I found that by simply including either crème fraiche or sour cream and vanilla bean, it retained the characteristics that I love and added new depth and interest to the flavor.

I’m not sure that Albert Einstein would appreciate his words being used to describe something as trivial as cupcakes, but I found them to resonate in my search for vanilla perfection!


The Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Bring the eggs, milk & butter to room temperature (don’t skip this step, it’s very important!)
3. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and pale.
4. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until combined
5. Sift (yes, sift!) together flour, salt and baking powder together
6. Stir together vanilla and milk
7. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to mixing bowl, scraping down after each addition. Start and end with dry ingredients
8. Fill paper-lined muffin tins with batter 2/3 full.
9. Bake at 350° for 18- 20 minute

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients
1 lb unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
8 egg whites
1 cup crème friache or sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Seeds from 2 vanilla beans

Directions
1. Combine sugar & egg whites in mixer bowl and whisk together over simmering water until hot to the touch and all of the sugar has melted and no longer grainy
2. Transfer bowl to mixer stand and whip on high until fluffy & cool – about 10 minutes
3. With the mixer on low, add the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time until incorporated. Add in vanilla, crème fraiche or sour cream, and vanilla beans. Beat until smooth (it may look curdled, but just continue to mix & it will be fine!).

15 comments:

Ana Degenaar said...

It is indeed perfect! I want one SO bad!

Caroline said...

That is simple yet not simpler!! I love that quote you started this post off with. I completely agree ... simple is always better. And WOW ... that cupcake oh my. I am going to try and make these. Thanks for sharing!! XO!

Anonymous said...

I'm a new follower. These cupcakes are just sweet! Thanks for sharing the beauty and recipe!

cailen ascher said...

what a beautiful cupcake. just perfect for a summery garden party!

cheers!
cailen

www.cailenascher.blogspot.com

Laura @ Laura Likes Design said...

These look so good! I love the photos.

Sumin said...

How many cupcakes does this recipe make? Thank you!

Cakewalk Baking said...

Thank you all so much for your comments - I really appreciate it!

@Sumin - the recipe will be 24 cupcakes

xo, Michele
Cakewalk Baking

Bellenza Wedding Bistro said...

Thanks so much for sharing, Michele! These look perfect -- even more so in that divine dome-covered cake pedestal!

sophie said...

Hum, MIAM MIAM !!!!!!

Katy said...

Oh, this recipe looks very similar to the one shared by Hello Naomi www.hello-naomi.blogspot.com - my search for the perfect vanilla cupcake ended here, they are perfect!

Yaneri said...

I just want to say that I've been looking for the best vanilla cupcake recipe........THIS IS IT!!!! Ladies, try it!! I made a batch of these and they made about 28 cupcakes!! They are so soft, so moist and fluffy!!! I post pics soon at my blog!!

Yaneri
www.sweetbakesofmine.com

Becky said...

I was really looking forward to these, however, they spilled all over the cup cake pan and onto the floor of the oven creating a smokey, horrible mess. Not sure if it's because we're at high altitude or what but this recipe certainly did NOT work out for me. Bummer. : (

Cakewalk Baking said...

I'm so sorry they didn't work for you, Becky. It sounds like you need to decrease the baking powder at high altitude.

Sarah said...

I LOVE your recipe, before I found it I tried almost 5 different recipes and non was to my liking but yours was a blast from the first time..... I really can't thank you enough for sharing such a wonderful recipe <3

lsub said...

I make these cupcakes all the time, and everyone who has them says they are hands down, the best cupcake they've ever had. They are incredible. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

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