suemunzlinger's Recipe

The Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake - Test Baked by 50 Bakers and Counting

Category: Cupcakes

Yield: 16 cupcakes

1 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean
1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup full-fat sour cream
1/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil (60 ml)
1 tablespoon pure (not imitation) vanilla extract
2/3 cup whole milk

1.Preheat oven to 350 F

2.In a small bowl, combine sugar and seeds from the vanilla bean.

3.Using the back of a spoon, move around the bowl and apply pressure to break up any clumps of seeds and to better infuse the vanilla flavor into the sugar. Set aside.

4.In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

5.Add the vanilla bean sugar and mix until well combined.

6.Add butter and mix on medium-low speed for three minutes. Because there is so little butter, you'll end up with a very fine crumb texture.

7.In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.

8.Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.
9.Slowly add milk and mix on low speed until just combined. The batter will be liquid. (Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong. It's supposed to be that way.)

10.Fill cupcake liners just over 1/2 full.
11.Bake for 14 minutes and then test to see if they are done. They are done when a toothpick comes out without wet batter stuck to it. The cupcakes should appear white with specks of vanilla bean. They should not turn a golden brown. If they are not done, test again in two minutes. If they are still not done, test again in another two minutes.

12.When the cupcakes are done, remove them immediately from the tins and leave them on a cooling rack (or just on your counter if you don't own a cooling rack) to cool.

Because everyone's oven is just a bit different and your liners may be a slightly different size than mine baking times may be different

Note: (When I tested this recipe, I made 1/2 of it. It is one of my favorites now. One thing, when you combine the flour mixture and butter, I had to use my hands to crumble the mixture like fine bread crumbs, because there was not enough butter to use mixer..Flour would fly all over the kitchen. After it was crumbles like bread crumbs I could use the mixer on low. Sue)


From the cupcake project