Let's Talk About Cupcakes...

Baking is one of the many ways I cope with everything in my life. When you are trying to bake something delicious for someone you love, like, or even someone you have never met, you can't think about anything else. Plus you have something sweet and awesome to eat after. And while I am lying on a table with my feet in stirrups, I like to think of different flavor combinations to distract myself. My favorite thing to bake are cupcakes. They are cute, sweet, and you can have fun decorating them without the commitment of making a whole cake. Plus it is hard not to be happy while eating a cupcake. So now I am going to share with you my favorite cupcake recipe. It is easy, yummy and versatile. I got the original recipe from Martha Stewart's Website and after playing with it for a while came up with my final version. So here ya go...



Chrissy's Double Vanilla Cupcakes
2 cups cake flour
1 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups vanilla sugar (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 large eggs, separated
1 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract


Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 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.

In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together egg yolks, 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. Using the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until they form a stiff peak. Fold in 1/4 of the stiff egg whites to the batter, once incorporated fold in the rest of the egg whites.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Vanilla Buttercream

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted softened butter
2 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:

In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter & salt for about 30 seconds and then add half of the powdered sugar and the cream to the butter and beat again until combined. Scrape down the bowl. Add the rest of the powdered sugar, the vanilla, and the lemon juice and beat until combined. Scrape down the bowl again. Beat on high speed for 5-6 minutes or until the frosting is fluffy.

Vanilla Sugar

Ingredients:
1 pound granulated sugar
2 vanilla beans

Directions:
Transfer sugar to an air tight container. Split the vanilla beans in half length wise. Put beans into the sugar and shake the container. Everyday for a week shake the container for a couple minutes(great when getting bad news/BFNs. At the end of the week use in coffee, tea, baking recipes or on cereal for a special treat.