It was a very exciting thing to wake up the morning of June 2nd and realize that all the busy-ness of the end of April and all of May was completely over. Seriously, it was pure chaos for me, at times, as I found myself needing to be in two places at almost the same times. But we made it through. We now have several much lighter weeks ahead of us before the kids and I tackle the crazy business known as Dance Nationals. In Florida. In June. That June beach vacation sure sounded lovely in the winter months, but now that it’s almost here, Florida in the summer months is suddenly sounding not so appealing…
Anyway, back to the morning of June 2nd. We woke lazily that morning and feeling luxurious with no commitments other than evening dance practices for nationals, and I decided I was in the mood to bake. I spoke that desire out loud and my son wasted no time asking for cupcakes. Specifically, he wanted vanilla cupcakes. That was easy enough, or so I thought. A quick spin through some of my favorite baking books did not procure me a simple vanilla cupcake recipe. I turned to a myriad of cooking sites and found the same affliction there. Very few recipes for a simple vanilla cupcake- and most of those had less than favorable reviews from too many people for me to seriously consider it a contender.
I ended up at Food.com, which has changed so much over the years it’s hardly recognizable. (And, to be completely honest, I really dislike the mobile-friendly format. It’s very clunky for using on a computer.) And there at the top was a recipe for Amy Sedaris’s Vanilla Cupcakes. I read the recipe over, and it was exactly what I was looking for. A straightforward butter cake recipe with no strange ingredients, no vegan alternatives, and it would take me just a few minutes to pop them in the oven. I did decide to change up the method a bit, and I increased the vanilla, but overall, this one was a winner. The cupcakes were ready late morning, and as soon as they were cool we were diving in. After lunch we had to have another for good measure, and later in the day, we were wondering if those cupcakes were really as good as we remembered.
They are delicious. The 24 cupcakes did not last long with my hungry dancers, but when I ate the last one just three days later, they were as delicious as the day I made them. I almost forgot to snap a picture again, but caught myself just before diving into that very last cupcake, which my son very generously decided I needed to have.
I did not make the frosting that came with the cupcake recipe, as it called for just powdered sugar, half-and-half, and vanilla. That sounded not-quite-right to me. Instead I made a buttercream using half a stick of butter, several cups of powdered sugar, a drizzle of vanilla, and a glug or two of half-and-half. I have to say, I’ve never used half-and-half in my frosting before, and this will not be the last time. It came out nice and extra creamy- I really liked it, and I can’t wait to try it again in another frosting application.
The best part? This recipe makes 24 cupcakes. They won’t last long, so I suggest making all 24 of them.
Easy Vanilla Cupcakes
3/4 cup butter, softened 1 3/4 cups sugar 2 large eggs 3 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/4 cups milkDirections:
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line two muffin tins with papers and spray the bottoms lightly with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well with each one. Add the vanilla.
In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Pour half of the flour mixture into the egg/butter/sugar mixture and beat well until combined. Add all the milk, again, mixing until combined- scraping the edges of the bowl as you mix. Finally, add the second half of the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated.
Divide the batter among the 24 muffin cups, and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a tester inserted in a cupcake comes out clean.