If I had to pick a food that represented our family perfectly, it would be, without a doubt, CUPCAKES. We've never met one we didn't like. Our love affair with cupcakes began when my husband and I lived in New York City after getting married right out of college. I decided that while we lived there, I would go on a one woman mission to find the best cupcake in the city. I spent 3 years happily eating my way through the boroughs, and when it was all said and done, my favorite cupcake ended up being from the bakery right around the corner from my office, (which was both delightful and dangerous)! It wasn't from some super secret obscure bakery either. It was from Magnolia Bakery, one of the biggest foodie tourist spots in the city. And their traditional vanilla-vanilla cupcake always lives up to the hype for me. It's indulgent and delectable and I just know you'll love it. So, let's dig in to the recipe!
To Make the Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups Self-Rising Flour
- 1 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup (2 Sticks) Unsalted Butter, Softened
- 2 Cups Sugar
- 4 Large Eggs, Room Temperature
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners. In a small mixing bowl, sift the flours together and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy; roughly 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the muffin tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
To Make the Icing
Ingredients
- 1 Cup (2 Sticks) Unsalted Butter, Softened
- 6 - 8 Cups Confectioners' Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Milk
- 2 tsps Vanilla Extract
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, add the Butter, 4 cups of the Confectioners' Sugar, Milk, and Vanilla Extract. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy; roughly 3 - 5 minutes. Add the remaining Confectioners' Sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating thoroughly after adding each cup, (roughly 2 minutes each time), until the icing is a good consistency for spreading on the cooled cupcakes. Fun Tip: Add a few drops of food coloring to make any color icing you'd like! Now, get to icing those cupcakes! Slather on as much or as little of this delicious buttercream icing as you prefer. For me, the more icing the merrier!
For the Garnish
For these cupcakes, my 5 year old sous-chef chose to garnish with sprinkles, candy hearts, and cocktail umbrellas. Because why not? If it were me, I would have chosen to garnish with Petite Rose Petals because I couldn't get away with not using flowers somewhere, right? But, there's no arguing with a 5 year old, so umbreallas it was. However, I encourage you to use any edible flower you may like as well. Other options could include: Violets, Pansies, Dandelions, Honeysuckle, Lavender, or Sunflowers!
Enjoy!