I’m not feeling so good today (I’m convinced I caught something while riding the nasty Greyhound bus earlier this week), so I’m going to keep this short.
I’ve tried lots of different vanilla cupcake recipes, including the three that most people consider to be the best: Martha Stewart, Amy Sedaris, and Buttercup Bakeshop. However, I’ve never been fully satisfied with them, mostly because the texture wasn’t right (a little too dry and coarse-crumbed for my taste).
Armed with scientific knowledge (here’s where my many years of being a molecular biologist helps!) and my love for cake, I created my own recipe for vanilla cupcakes, and you know what, I think they’re damn near perfect. They’re soft, moist but not chewy, light but not feathery, and the turbinado sugar adds a depth of flavor that really accentuates but in no way detracts from the vanilla. They’re so good that they don’t need any frosting; in fact, I think it’s a shame to cover them up with frosting, because they're just that good.
---------------
Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes
(makes 9 regular or 27 mini)
Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes
(makes 9 regular or 27 mini)
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup turbinado sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
½ cup milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon good quality vanilla (I use Nielsen-Massey)
***************
Heat an oven to 350 F. Line the wells of muffin pan with papers and set aside.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and set it aside.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg, and mix well until combined.
Add half of the flour mixture, the milk and vanilla, and the remaining flour mixture, mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition.
Evenly distribute the batter among the lined cups and bake until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs attached and the edges are pale golden, about 17 minutes for regular sized cupcakes and 12 for minis.
