This is my go-to cupcake recipe… they are moist and delicious and I LOVE them. As in I will eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner and dessert kind of love.
The custard is an extra step but believe me, it is worth it. These cupcakes stay moist and fresh for days and your guests and friends will have dreams about them. Seriously…it is true.
Sometimes I even get a little crazy and throw in some sprinkles to the batter for a funfetti version. This is also the cupcake recipe I used for my bunny cupcakes for Emma’s birthday…I will be posting a tutorial on that shortly but I wanted to share the cupcake recipe with you first!
Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe
2015-08-19 13:02:38
Ingredients
- 2 1⁄2 cups cake flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups Italian Custard Cream (see recipe below)
- 3⁄4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 1⁄4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature – Note – EXTRA-LARGE eggs…most baking recipes use large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- cupcake liners
Instructions
- 1. Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- 2. Put the flour, sugar, custard cream, if using, vegetable oil, baking powder, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can put the ingredients in a bowl, and use a hand mixer with the blending attachments, but take extra care to not overmix.) Mix on slow just until the ingredients are blended together, a few seconds, then raise the speed to low-medium and continue to mix until smooth, approximately 1 additional minute.
- 3. With the motor running, add 1 egg at a time, adding the next one after the previous one has been absorbed into the mixture. Stop the motor periodically and scrape the bowl from the bottom with a rubber spatula to integrate the ingredients, and return the mixer to low-medium speed. After all the eggs are added, continue to mix for an additional minute to ensure the eggs have been thoroughly mixed in. This will help guarantee that the sugar is dissolved and that the flour has been thoroughly mixed in.
- 4. With the motor running, add the milk, 1⁄2 cup at a time, stopping the motor to scrape the sides and bottom between the two additions. Continue to mix for another minute or until the mixture appears smooth.
- 5. Put cupcake liners in cupcake tin.
- 6. Fill cupcake liners with the cake batter. I use an ice cream scoop and put 2 scoops of batter in each cupcake liner.
- 7. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes.
- 8. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let cool. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to decorate.
Lil Celebrations https://www.lilcelebrations.com/
Custard Cream Recipe
2015-09-12 14:06:17
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup cake flour, sifted
- 5 extra-large egg yolks – note the extra-large eggs as most baking recipes use large eggs
- 2 teaspoons of salted butter- note the salted butter as a lot of baking recipes use unsalted butter
Instructions
- 1. Put the milk and vanilla in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- 2. In a bowl, whip together the sugar, flour and egg yolks with a hand mixer. Ladle the cup of milk-vanilla mixture into the bowl and beat to temper the yolks.
- 3. Add the yolk mixture to the pot and beat over medium heat with the hand mixer until thick and creamy, about 3 minutes. As you are beating, move the pot on and off the flame so you don’t scramble the eggs.
- 4. Remove the pot from the heat, add the butter and whip for 2 minutes to thicken the cream.
- 5. Transfer to a bowl. Let cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
Notes
- Will keep for one week.
Lil Celebrations https://www.lilcelebrations.com/
Vanilla Buttercream Recipe
2015-09-12 14:00:22
Ingredients
- 1 lb unsalted butter at room temperature
- 8 oz hi-ratio shortening
- 3 tablespoons of clear vanilla extract
- 3 pounds of confectioners’ sugar
- 4 1/2 fl oz water – 1 1/2 tablespoons
- 3 tablespoons of meringue powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
Instructions
- 1. Cream the shortening and butter with a paddle-whip in the stand mixer for 3 minutes on medium-high speed. Stop and scrap the bowl.
- 2. Add the vanilla extract and salt. Mix until combined.
- 3. Gradually add the sugar.
- 4. Add the meringue powder (the mixture will seem very dry at this point…that is okay!).
- 5. Add the water and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy – 5 to 8 minutes.
- 6. Add frosting to the top of the cupcakes with an offset spatula.
Lil Celebrations https://www.lilcelebrations.com/
Vanilla Buttercream Recipe adapted from Toba Garrett’s Buttercream Recipe