so lately, i've been a little obsessed with cupcakes. but who can blame me?? they're just SO yummy :) and a little too pretty to make for yourself, if you ask me. my latest find is teacake bakery, which i must tell you makes some truly fabulous specimens (try the lemon cream cheese cupcake - OMG).
anyway, i bring it up because, in wandering around the net today, i came across a recipe for basic yellow cupcakes from the king of all cupcakeries - magnolia bakery (in NYC). and, being the horrible plagarizing beast that i am, here you go:
Magnolia Cupcakes (makes 12)
For the Cakes:
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup self-raising flour
½ + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
½ cup milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
For the Buttercream Frosting:
1 stick butter
4 cups sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
For the cupcakes:
Line 12 muffin cups with cupcake papers. Preheat the oven to 175 C/350 F.
Cream the butter for a couple of minutes alone first, just to make sure it's adequately soft. Add the sugar in three additions, beating well after each addition. Add the eggs, one by one, again beating well after each one has been added.
Mix the two types of flour together. Then add the flour in four additions, alternating with the milk and vanilla extract in three additions. Divide the batter between the 12 waiting muffins cups, then bake for 20-22 minutes.
Leave to cool completely, before frosting.
For the frosting:
Place butter, 2 cups icing sugar, ½ cup of milk and the vanilla extract in a free-standing mixer (or you can beat it by hand I suppose!) and beat on medium-low speed. Add the rest of the icing sugar until you reach a desired consistency - I only used three cups in total. If you want, you can color the icing - that's like half the fun of these!! And of course, you can use sprinkles to your hearts content!
