This is the recipe I’ve been using for my vanilla cupcakes and have had lots of success with them coming out nice and moist! The only thing I’ll caution on is this – if you’re only baking one dozen at a time, leave the rest of your batter in your bowl and re-whip with a spatula just before filling the next batch of cupcake liners to be baked (immediately placing them in the oven.) For some reason, the batter tends to “break down” if you don’t do this and won’t give you the same lovely results.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 large eggs, at room temp
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk, at room temp
• 1 1/2 Tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line your cupcake pans with paper cups.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment. Split and scrape the vanilla pod into the butter, discard pod. Beat for 3 minutes on medium-high speed until the butter is light and creamy in color. Stop and scrape the bowl. Cream the butter for an additional 60 seconds.
3. Add the sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl before each addition. Add the eggs one at a time. Reduce the mixer speed. Stir vanilla into the buttermilk. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk. Mix just until incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer. (Be careful not to over-mix!)
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake pan. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until the cake is lightly brown on top or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached.

For the cake

1 1/4 cups cake flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup milk

1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

3 large eggs + 3 egg yolks, at room temp

1 cup sugar

For the coffee syrup

8 Tbsp strongly brewed coffee

1/4 cup sugar

For the frosting

1 cup heavy cream

8oz mascarpone

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Chocolate coffee beans, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line two muffin pans with paper liners (24 total). Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside. In a small microwave-safe bowl, add milk, butter, vanilla bean paste, and butter. Heat in 15 second intervals until butter is melted.
2. Whisk the eggs by hand over a simmering pot of water for 6 minutes, until warm. Then move mixer bowl to your stand mixer. Whisk mixture until pale, fluffy and thick enough to hold a ribbon on the surface for several seconds when the whisk is lifted.
3. Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer set on low, add flour mixture and slowly add the milk mixture, mixing until just combined. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned and a skewer comes out clean. Let sit in pan until just warm to the touch. Using a knife or fork, gently poke 4-5 holes in each cupcake (you want to give the syrup a way to travel down the cupcake but you don’t want to tear up the cupcake).
4. To make the coffee syrup: Mix coffee and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Using a silicone pastry brush, brush the tops of the cupcakes, letting the first round soak in completely before making another pass. Repeat until all of the syrup has been used.
5. Make the mascarpone frosting: With the whisk attachment, whip the cream on high until stiff peaks just form. Add the mascarpone, powdered sugar, and vanilla and whisk on medium-high for 1-2 minutes. Frost cupcakes when they have completely cooled. Garnish with a dusting of cocoa powder and chocolate coffee beans.

*Adapted from Martha Stewart Cupcakes

3/4 cup strong hot coffee

3 tsp instant espresso powder

3/4 cup dark cocoa

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups brown sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp sour cream, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350°. Line cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners

Whisk together coffee, espresso powder and cocoa in a small bowl and set aside. Sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder in another small bowl and set aside. Measure out buttermilk and mix with vanilla extract and set aside.

In a large bowl cream together butter, sugar and salt. Add eggs, one at a time, beating each egg in thoroughly and scraping the side of the bowl before adding the next egg. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk and mix until combined. Repeat, ending with the last of the flour mixture. Add the cocoa and coffee mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Fold in sour cream.

Divide equally into prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 16-18 mins or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool thoroughly on wire racks before frosting.

Vanilla Bean Latte Swiss Meringue Buttercream Ingredients:
5 large egg whites

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Either 1 scraped vanilla bean -or- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste

2 tbsp instant espresso powder dissolved in 4 tsp hot water, let cool before adding

Pinch of salt

Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer with vinegar on paper towel, to remove any trace of grease. Add egg whites and sugar, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly, until temperature reaches 140 degrees F, or if you don’t have a candy thermometer, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

With whisk attachment of mixer, begin to whip until the mixture is thick, glossy, and cool. Switch over to paddle attachment and, while mixing on medium speed continuously, add softened butter in chunks until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture (if curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth). Add vanilla, vanilla beans (or paste) and salt, mix well. Slowly add in cooled espresso/water mixture – it will take just a little while for this to incorporate fully, give it some time! You can scrape your bowl once or twice and whip well, then fill your piping bag and enjoy!!

I topped my cupcakes with dark chocolate coated espresso beans for even more coffee kick :)