Janiepie – 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.
-- Becky, North Carolina, http://www.cakesbybecky.blogspot.com
