What do I think of when I think of Mother's Day? Flowers! This year my sister was on cooking duty, and I just had to worry about dessert and flowers for mom. While I did get her a bouquet of flowers, I figured I would incorporate some edible spring flowers into dessert as well. I made pretty little vanilla cupcakes, with a very vanilla buttercream frosting, and topped them with some pastel sprinkles and johnny jump ups that keep coming up through the rocks around my fire pit (I can't weed them out, they are too cute). Pretty, girlie, and delicious!
This recipe comes from Billy Reece, owner of Billy's Bakery, NYC
Billy's Vanilla, Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes about 30 cupcakes
1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.
2. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat.
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about two-thirds full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.
4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.
I only got about 24 cupcakes out of this and I had to bake them for 25 minutes, so clearly I filled mine fuller than Billy does. I say the bigger the cupcake the better!
Billy's Vanilla Buttercream
Colored sprinkles, for decorating (optional)Makes enough for 30 cupcakes
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency
I made a half batch because I was only frosting half the cupcakes (the rest hit the freezer), but I still used the full amount of vanilla, because vanilla is tasty.
This recipe comes from Billy Reece, owner of Billy's Bakery, NYC
Billy's Vanilla, Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes about 30 cupcakes
1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.2. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat.
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about two-thirds full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.
4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.
I only got about 24 cupcakes out of this and I had to bake them for 25 minutes, so clearly I filled mine fuller than Billy does. I say the bigger the cupcake the better!
Billy's Vanilla Buttercream
Colored sprinkles, for decorating (optional)Makes enough for 30 cupcakes
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency
I made a half batch because I was only frosting half the cupcakes (the rest hit the freezer), but I still used the full amount of vanilla, because vanilla is tasty.
Vanilla cupcakes are one of the best flavors out there. So pure, unadulterated. If you ever get your hands on vanilla bean paste, try it out. It adds pure flavor without the alcohol that extracts have!
ReplyDelete