Baked to Perfection

Vanilla Cupcakes (milk chocolate Buttercream)

 

Super simple so have fun. These are my go-to cupcakes. Anytime I need cupcakes for bake sales or anything and I have a lot of work, which is often haha, I make these. They are so simple but perfect! I love to make milk chocolate buttercream with this, but it is delicious with any frosting.

 

Sorry about the picture job, I was so into eating them, I forgot to take pictures... Oops. So I only have pictures of one cupcake. Which, by the way was delicious. Which is why you should make them :)

 

With the frosting, I cream it for at least 5 minutes. Jk, honestly I normally do it a lot longer. It is so worth it. It is buttercream: butter that is creamed, and the creaming is intense. You will know when it is creamed well when the butter looks so pleasing, which sounds weird but you will know what I mean when you see it haha.

 

 

Makes 12 cupcakes

CUPCAKES

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

• 1 tablespon vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 2/3 cup whole milk, at room temperature

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with liners

2. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl

3. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes

4. Scrape down the bowl whenever necessary and beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla

5. Slow down the mixer to medium low, and beat in half of dry ingredients, then all of milk, then the remaining dry ingedients until just combined.

6. Fill each liner three-quarters full

7. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Rotate the pan after about 10 minutes

8. Leave the cupcakes in the pan for about 5 minutes, and then transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack to finish cooling

 

BUTTERCREAM

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cups salted butter

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

• 1/4 cup heavy cream

• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cream the butter on high in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment for 5 minutes. Yes, this seems like an excessive amount of time to cream it, but trust me it is worth it

2. Beat in cocoa powder, starting a low speed so that it does not spray out. Add sugar and cream by mixing in about 1 cup of the sugar followed by about 1 tbsp of cream. You want to finish adding with the cream. Add the vanilla extract into the mixture and combine well. Continue to cream until you have your desired consistency

 

If it's too dry and does not stick well, add more heavy cream or milk. If it's too wet and loose, add more confectioner's sugar. You want to add them in small increments to make sure you do not add too much