Learn Desserts

Wow, do we love everything that is vanilla?  Yes, we do!  Some people dream in color, my husband and I dream in vanilla…even my bedroom walls are painted a light vanilla cream color.  So, my favorite cupcakes must be, of course, vanilla.  Or rather, vanilla bean!  I go out, a lot.  I eat a lot.  And I have not found a vanilla bean cupcake that can even touch this recipe!

When I do go out to try a cupcake for the first time, it goes through a taste test that I am sure it is totally unaware of.  I certainly wouldn’t want to hurt any cupcakes feelings.

First:The cupcake must be made from scratch. (Don’t worry, I can tell!)

Second:The cake-meat (as I like to call it) must be moist.

Third: It has to have great frosting.

And Forth:  It must have a truly vanilla taste.  I’m just saying, I want to see little vanilla beans scattered about in the cupcake and frosting.

I’m not hard to please, I just know what I like.  If they want my business, that little cupcake better measure up!

Oh well, I know where I can find just what I am looking for, yep, that’s right.  I can make it myself, and so can you.

Are you ready?  Here we go!

You will need:

Two cupcake or muffin pans,with a total of 24 cupcake wells

24 cupcake liners, color and design of your choice (one of my favorite things about making cupcakes is picking out my cupcake liners, I am a collector…

2 1/2 cups organic all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon Rumford baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3 large farm fresh or organic eggs

2 cups of granulated sugar or xylitol

1 cup of vegetable or corn oil

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or 1 large vanilla bean scraped in

1 1/4 cup sour cream, organic or regular

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Now, sift your flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt all into a mixing bowl and set aside for now.

Break you eggs individually in a glass bowl.  Then add them one at a time into an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat the 3 large eggs for a couple of minutes.

A Dessert Sweetie Side note: I have to tell you, that I really like my artisan mixer, by Kitchen Aid.  I used to think that I wanted something else, until I found a scraper beater that fits the artisan Kitchen Aid mixers.  Now,  I never have to scrape the sides of my mixer anymore.  Wow, what a time and energy saver!

When your have whipped your eggs until light and fluffy add the two cups of sugar and mix until lightened and fluffy, again, making sure they are not grainy, about 2 minutes.

Mix in the oil, vanilla extract and vanilla paste or beans, until well blended.

Next blend in the sour cream. (This what helps make your cupcakes moist, I discovered this little secret when designing my Sour Cream Strawberry Bread recipe!)

Last, but not least, add the flour mixture and mix until you have a nice smooth cupcake batter.

You choose how best to fill your cupcake liners.  Here are two of my favorite ways.

Option 1: Use a large scoop with a release.

Option 2: Fill a ziplock bag with batter and snip the corner of the bag while holding your finger over the hole until you reach the cupcake well(in which you have already put your cupcake liners) and in between cupcake wells.

Bake in your preheated oven for 20 minutes or so.  You can use the toothpick test to check the cupcakes if you are uncertain if they are finished baking.

I let my cupcakes cool for a few minutes and put a plastic bag over them if I don’t intend to frost them right away.  This keeps the tops moist until ready to frost.

I personally love to top these lovely cakes with my cream cheese frosting recipe.  I do add some vanilla paste taste, or I scrape a vanilla bean into my frosting.  You can also sprinkle clear vanilla crystals over the top for a picture perfect presentation.