RECIPE: Vanilla Cupcakes

I’ve been on a cupcake quest lately, as you can tell by the previous blog posts, and sometimes I have to surrender and make my own when I don’t feel like shelling out $3 a pop for these little delicious bites. This recipe is supposedly from the Magnolia Bakery in NYC.

Magnolia’s Vanilla Cupcakes

1 1/2 c. self-rising flour
1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
2 c. sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Line 24 muffin tins with cupcake papers.
2. In a small bowl, add the flours; stir to combine; set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter using an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
4. Add the sugar gradually and beat for 3 minutes or until fluffy.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Add the dry ingredient in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla.
7. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overmix.
8. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling about 3/4 full.
9. Bake in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20-25 minutes.
10. Cool the cupcakes in the tin for 15 minutes.
11. Remove the cakes from the tins and cool on a wire rack before icing with Vanilla Buttercream.

Vanilla Buttercream

1 c. unsalted butter, softened
6-8 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl
2. Add in 4 cups of sugar, milk, then vanilla.
3. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat about 3-5 minutes until smooth and creamy.
4. Add the remaining sugar gradually, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition, until the icing is thick enough for good spreading consistency. You may not use all the sugar.
5. Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled – the icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

SF BAY AREA SPOTLIGHT: Kara’s Cupcakes (San Francisco, CA)

Kara’s Cupcakes
3249 Scott Street (between Lombard and Chestnut)
San Francisco, CA 94133

P 415 563-CAKE
F 415 563 2252 for ordering

hours Daily 10-6

Speaking of Giant Cupcakes, if you didn’t already know about Kara’s, you need to get on a bus, get in your car, get on your bike (useful to burn off the calories you will eventually be consuming once you get to Kara’s) and GO to the best cupcakery in the Bay. Or at least, the only cupcakery in the Bay that I know of.

I fell in love with cupcakes as an adult on my first solo trip to NYC in 2003, when a friend of mine and her roommate took me to the ever-so-famous Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street. I had a vanilla cupcake. I was hooked. Since that fateful day, free-standing cupcake shops have gained enormous popularity, like Sprinkles in Los Angeles, and now, Kara’s. What’s special about Kara’s is that they care to use only the best local ingredients, like fruits from the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market, Clover Dairy milk (Petaluma, CA) and Scharffenberger Chocolate (Berkeley, CA).

What to order? My favorites are the Fleur de Sel (a moist chocolate cake with a caramel center and chocolate frosting, topped with a tiny bit of Fleur de Sel), the Coconut Vanilla (vanilla cupcake with coconut cream cheese frosting), and my personal favorite, the Buttermilk Vanilla (vanilla cupcake with a Madagascar bourbon vanilla buttercream). They also do a fantastic Meyer Lemon filled cupcake. Prices range from $2.00 (mini cupcakes) to $3.25 (filled cupcakes). A little pricey, but you can’t really put a price on a little piece of heaven, now can you?