BEST VANILLA CUPCAKES

Cupcake recipes are my favorite and the easiest to tell when testing recipes if they are good or not. Also, my favorite to test because I love cupcakes and get to try so many. I worked on this recipe for weeks if not months just to have the perfect moist, light, airy, fluffy tender vanilla cupcake. My issue with cupcakes is that you can never taste the vanilla flavor enough and they end up just tasting like a plain piece of cake with not flavor and extremely bland or dry.

The other thing I hate, but most people don’t mind or they love, is the extra sweet buttercream with cups/pounds of powdered sugar that all you taste is a load of frosting in each bite. I wanted a cupcake that, when frosted, you can taste the cake and the frosting in the same bite without either or overpowering the other. This was my mission…

To get to this point, I have tested this every way you could possibly think of, adding ingredients in different orders, changing the measurements, the cook time, how much i filled up each cupcake liner, creaming vs reverse creaming, you name it, I tried it. I was eventually successful and decided on an unorthodox way of baking, which is – I used a method called reverse creaming.

Typically when making cupcakes or cake you cream together the butter and sugars until light a fluffy and than add in the rest of the wet and move towards the dry ingredients or alternate the dry from the wet; a method we are all familiar with. This is how everyone grew/grows up learning and has always made cakes; trust me I get it, it’s hard to break habit but believe me when I tell you these will be EVERYTHING you dreamed of in a cupcake and more.

REVERSE CREAMING METHOD:

Here is a breakdown of how it works for those that are curious about the science behind such a delicate tender & moist cupcake. Starting off with the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar) in a mixing bowl. You then add in a fat, which is your softened butter. Turning on your mixer and coating all your dry ingredients with the butter to form a sand-like texture which forms a coating around the the flour and prevents the gluten from developing; which creates that tender delicate cupcake.

For those wondering what that means, it creates a cake that is moist, extremely fluffy and bouncy. It may sounds complicated at first and taboo in the baking world since it is usually not something we learn when baking growing up. But let me be the first to say, these are going to be your new favorite cupcakes and this method will be something you try in all your cakes and cupcakes.

FROSTING:

I am not going to get too into my favorite buttercream that is not overpoweringly sweet where it coats your teeth in tiny crystalized particles of sugar and makes you feel like you need to brush your teeth after each bite. I know you all know what I am talking about – classic American Buttercream is extremely sweet where you hardly even get to enjoy the flavors of the cupcakes.

Therefore, I created a Swiss Meringue Buttercream which is way less sweet but still has flavor. Oh, and it is so easy to work with, frosting cakes, cupcakes, adding food coloring too, piping etc. It basically only has 2 cups of regular granulated sugar to 7 egg whites as opposed to anywhere from 4-10 cups of powdered sugar (which is also way sweeter).

Here is a quick rundown on how it is made, but there is a whole post about my Swiss Meringue Buttercream on the blog that will go in more depth. You crack 7 egg whites into a bowl over another bowl of simmering water (double boiler) and the 2 cups of sugar. Let that reach 160 degrees F and until the sugar crystals have dissolved. You than put it on a stand mixer and whip it up for about 5-10 mins until it hold stiff peaks. Add in the vanilla paste/vanilla extract and a couple cups of room temperature butter and voila! Leave it there for 10+ minutes and you will have the best buttercream that isn’t super sweet ready to frost just about anything! Can drizzle in some chocolate that is melted and cooled to about 85-90 degrees F and you’ll have the best chocolate frosting!

TIPS:

INGREDIENTS NEEDED:

• Cake Flour
• All Purpose Flour
• Sugar
• Oil
• Milk
• Eggs
• Egg Whites
• Vanilla Extract
• Vanilla Paste
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Butter

BEST VANILLA CUPCAKES

Recipe by sugaredkneadsCourse: CUPCAKES

Servings

18-24

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• VANILLA CUPCAKES

• 1 ¼ cup cake flour

• ½ cups all purpose flour

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ cup unsalted butter; softened room temperature

• ⅔ cup whole milk

• 2 teaspoons vanilla paste

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• ½ cup of canola/vegetable oil

• 2 eggs

• SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

• 7 egg whites

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 4 sticks butter; softened room temperature (2 cups)

• 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract

Directions

• VANILLA CUPACKES
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a cupcake pan with lines and lightly spray some baking spray in each one – holding hand far enough so it sprays evenly. This will help prevent the cupcake from sticking to the liner when peeling off to eat.
• In a small bowl mix together the milk, vanilla paste and vanilla extract (if you do not have paste add more extract to give it that distinct vanilla flavor; set aside
• Add oil and eggs together in a separate bowl and mix until fully combined
• Add dry ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer – flours, baking soda, baking powder, sugar
• Add in the softened butter and turn on medium speed until it forms a sand like consistency and all the dry ingredients are coated with butter
• Pour in the milk and vanilla mixture to the mixer and mix on medium speed for about a minute and a half until light and fluffy and changed lighter in color.
• Turn the mixer to low, and add in the egg and oil mixture stirring just until fully combined
• Using a dough scoop, spoon in batter about ⅔ full. a little more than half.
• Baker for about 15-20 mins depending on how full you made your cupcakes. You want them to have a wet crumb when you put a toothpick in. If your toothpick is dry with no crumbs it is overcooked and won’t be as moist. Make Sure to check at 15 mins and every other minute thereafter.
• SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM
• In saucepan boil some water; in the bowl bowl of a stand mixer, crack in 7 egg whites and 2 cups of sugar. be sure to not get any egg yolks in the mixture otherwise you will have to start over.
• Place bowl over the simmering water (double boil) and cook for about 10 mins or until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F and the sugar crystals have dissolved, when touched. If you grab some between two fingers there shouldn’t be any grains left.
• Put the bowl on the stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whip the sugar and egg whites until fluffy and holds stiff peaks, about 5 mins on medium high speed. DO NOT ADD BUTTER IF BOWL IS STILL WARM. Place a wet cool towel around the bottom of the stand mixer bowl to help cool it off.
• Once stiff peaks have formed, switch the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment and add in the the vanilla. Turn the speed to high and add in the softened butter in chunks. Mix on high speed for another 5 mins.
• The buttercream may go through phases of curdled looking but trust the process it will turn smooth just keep mixing. Once it has fully incorporated and is smooth in texture lower the speed to low and mix for another 10 min to get the air bubbles out and becomes silky smooth