Last night when I got home from work I found that my internet and cable had left on a vacation! They didn’t even leave a note, but instead just took off like the free spirits they are. So I gathered up my Sex & the City dvds, one stick of butter and my dinosaur sprinkles to make these cupcakes for the holiday known as Friday.
AND my mom gave me some pretty polka dotted cupcake liners, which were dying to be used. What fashionable cupcakes!
12 Vanilla Cupcakes, 1 Stick of Butter
Recipe found on Joy the Baker + originally adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- a scant 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 t baking powder
- 1/2 t baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 3 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 t vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and butter in a large bowl. Using a hand held mixer beat on a slow speed until the mixture is a sandy consistency and everything is combined. Gradually pour in half the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.
- Whisk the egg, vanilla and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated. Scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side or the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Continue mixing until the batter is smooth. For just a few minutes. Don’t bother overmixing.
- Spoon the batter into paper lined muffin tins, dividing evenly between 12 cups. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating half way through or until lightly golden and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the pan, then cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.
Vanilla Buttercream
Recipe found on Joy the Baker + originally adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook
Ingredients:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 5 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 T milk
- 1/4 t vanilla extract
Directions:
- Beat the powdered sugar together in a medium sized bowl with an electric mixer on medium low speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Turn the mixer to low. Combine milk and the vanilla extract and slowly stream it into the butter and sugar mixture. Once incorporated, turn the mixer to high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes. When you reach the desired consistency, frost the cooled cupcakes, and sprinkle them with dinosaurs or whatever other sprinkles you happen to have and love.
P. S. I put an ad in the Friends of Joy section on Joy the Baker’s website!
It’ll be up for a week, starting yesterday!
Then on Twitter I got this little surprise which made me blush at my computer, for real.
So there you go. That’s what’s up. I’m feeling good. How are YOU doing?