So I have totally been on the hunt for the perfect homemade vanilla cupcake. Every time I go to a cupcake bakery, I’m all, ‘these cupcakes are so light and moist and definitely not from a box, I need to be able to do this.’ I’ve tried several variations so far, and they still didn’t have that, angels singing, eye rolling result I’ve wanted.
In my endless research for the holy grail of cupcakes I stumbled upon this cupcake recipe which was touted as ‘the best homemade vanilla cupcake’ and I was all, ‘woohoo!’ I couldn’t wait to make these y’all, they smelled amazing baking and I even threw in a little extra vanilla just because. Ok, I have to admit these are definitely good, but not ammaazzing like I want.
I want light and fluffy and these are a little more pound cake-esqe. Tasty, just not what I’m looking for, sigh. Now the frosting on the other hand is awesome, full of vanilla, and to keep it from being overly sweet (which I find most buttercreams are) I added in some cream cheese.
Also, since it’s almost the 4th of July I had to go crazy with themed decorations, which I’m so in love with, the star sprinkles especially. These cupcakes are still delightful, but I’m on the hunt again for the perfect homemade vanilla cupcake. Happy (Early!) Fourth of July!!
First, butter into the bowl…
after it’s all whipped up, add your eggs…
all mixed together, then your sugar…
all mixed up, then your milk and vanilla extract…
now add your flour, baking powder and salt…
all mixed up 🙂
cupcake liners (I just love these!)…
batter into the liners…
baking, yummy…
while these are cooling, time for the frosting, 3 sticks of butter…
then cream cheese…
then the vanilla bean…
the the powdered sugar and vanilla extract…
delicious!!
yummy!!!
- 3 Cups of Cake Flour.
- 2 Cups of Granulated Sugar.
- 1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder.
- 1 Teaspoon of Salt.
- 2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Very Soft.
- 4 Large Eggs, Room Temperature.
- 3 Tablespoons of Vanilla Extract.
- 1 Cup of Whole Milk.
- 3 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Softened.
- 1 Block of Cream Cheese, Softened.
- 4 Cups of Powdered Sugar.
- 1 Vanilla Bean.
- 2 Tablespoons of Vanilla Extract.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line cupcake tin with liners and set aside.
- With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment place your butter into your bowl and beat until smooth.
- Now add your eggs and mix again.
- Now add your milk and vanilla extract and mix until blended, then add your flour, baking powder and salt until just combined.
- Using your an ice cream scoop, fill your cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full and bake 18-20 minutes or until they spring back to the touch (I took mine out at 18).
- Let cool completely before frosting.
- With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment place your butter into your bowl and beat until smooth.
- Now add your cream cheese and whip until well blended.
- Take your vanilla bean cutting it horizontally down the middle so you can open the whole thing, then take your knife or spoon and scrape the inside of the vanilla bean pod removing all of the seeds placing into your bowl and mixing until smooth, then add your vanilla extract and beat again.
- Now 1 cup at a time add your powdered sugar and mix until smooth (you can add more powdered sugar if you want it sweeter or thicker).
- I used an open star tip to pipe the frosting onto my cupcakes.