Servings 24 cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
For the frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- Sprinkles, for decorating (optional)
Instructions
Make the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake tins with wrappers.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time then add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and beat just until the batter is combined.
- Fill each cupcake cup 2/3 full with batter then bake the cupcakes for 18 to 22 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and transfer them to a rack to cool completely while you make the frosting.
Make the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the scraped vanilla bean seeds and vanilla extract until it is light and fluffy. Add half of the confectioners' sugar and beat until combined, then add the heavy cream and remaining confectioners' sugar and continue beating until the frosting is thick and creamy. (See Kelly's Notes.)
- Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, top them with the frosting and sprinkles (optional) and serve.
Frosting Notes:
- Beating the frosting in between each addition of the confectioners' sugar lightens the color of the frosting and will make it more white in color (rather than yellow).
- If the frosting is too thin, add additional sifted confectioners' sugar 1/4 cup at a time, or if it’s too thick, add additional heavy cream 1 teaspoon at a time until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.
- If you prefer a very generous amount of frosting that can be piped into tall swirls atop the cupcakes (as shown), double the frosting recipe and refrigerate it for 20 minutes before transferring it to a piping bag and decorating the cupcakes.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. Make sure your butter, eggs and milk are all at room temperature before starting. Cold ingredients don't cream or combine properly and can result in a dense, uneven crumb.
- Measure your flour accurately. Use the spoon-and-level method rather than scooping directly from the bag.
- Don't overmix. Once the flour goes in, beat just until no streaks of flour remain. Overmixing leads to tough, dense cupcakes.
- Make ahead: Bake the cupcakes a day ahead, let them cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Frost the day you plan to serve them for the freshest results. If making the frosting ahead, refrigerate it and give it a quick re-beat before using. Frosted cupcakes keep covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
- To freeze: Unfrosted cupcakes freeze best. Wrap individually and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then frost before serving.
- Vanilla bean: The original version of this recipe called for a vanilla bean in the cupcake batter and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. I've since simplified to 2½ teaspoons of vanilla extract only for even more vanilla flavor without the extra step. If you'd like to add a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds from one bean and reduce the amount of vanilla extract to 2 teaspoons.
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