Vanilla Cupcakes

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I’ve tried a slew of vanilla cupcake recipes and usually end up with a bland, dense cake. So when I came across this recipe for “Almost Cake Mix Vanilla Cupcakes, I was skeptical. But I am happy to report the name is right on! Not only are these cupcakes delicious, they are moist and light as well. And of course, I used my favorite buttercream frosting recipe.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup Crisco shortening, room temperature
2 cups sugar, ground in the processor until fine (measure before processing)
4 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract or lemon extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour (or combined together)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup warm half-and-half cream or full-fat milk (this is important, warm the milk!)

Preparation

  1. Set oven to 375 degrees (will reduce oven temperature just before baking cupcakes).
  2. Line 24 muffin pans with paper cupcake liners.
  3. In an electric mixer, cream butter and shortening until fluffy.
  4. Add in the eggs (one at a time) and the extracts and beat about 3-4 minutes on high speed (the mixture will seem to be a bit lumpy but will even out when you add in the sugar).
  5. Add in the sugar; beat well (another 3 minutes) until sugar is COMPLETELY combined.
  6. In a bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder.
  7. Blend into the creamed ingredients, along with the warm milk until smooth (about 3 minutes).
  8. Fill the prepared pans about two-thirds full.
  9. IMMEDIATELY, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
  10. Place the cupcakes in oven, and bake for about 20-24 minutes, or until the cupcakes test done.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Notes:

  1. I used ultrafine sugar.
  2. I used cake flour.
  3. I used whole mik.
  4. I used lemon extract.
  5. After adding the eggs to the butter, the batter is very lumpy and kinda funky looking.
  6. The cupcakes were done after 18 minutes, so you may want to check them early.
  7. I usually get 30 (very nicely sized) cupcakes, not 24 like the recipe states.

Recipe from Recipe*Zaar.

May 20, 2006 | Filed Under Cakes and Cupcakes


Comments

26 Responses to “Vanilla Cupcakes”

    Lauren on May 22nd, 2006 11:30 am

    Did you use 2 cups of ultra fine sugar or a little less? I only ask because the recipe says to measure the sugar out before you process it. Thanks!

    Hilary on May 22nd, 2006 12:02 pm

    You know…I noticed that after I made the cupcakes. I just measured out exactly 2 cups of ultra fine sugar. And they tasted and looked great!

    Paula on May 23rd, 2006 6:17 pm

    I may try these tonight. I need a cupcake for my son to take to school tomorrow since someone is bringing in cupcakes from a bakery that he can’t eat (peanut allergy). I wish I could remember if I had lemon extract in the cupboard at home.

    Hilary on May 23rd, 2006 6:31 pm

    I’m thinking you could just substitute vanilla for the lemon extract…

    Paula on May 24th, 2006 6:23 pm

    I did end up making these with just vanilla since I didn’t have the lemon extract. I wish I could have added the almond extract but we’re avoiding all nuts right now. These were the lightest non-cake mix cupcakes I’ve made. I’m definitely going to be making these again and again. Thanks!

    Hilary on May 24th, 2006 6:58 pm

    Paula,

    I couldn’t taste the lemon whatsoever, but one of my friends said she tasted it right away. I’m so glad you liked the recipe…I have to say it’s my favorite vanilla one thus far!

    Randi on May 28th, 2006 7:13 am

    Hi, I came here thru cookbook junkie and I’ll stay awhile and read. I’m Jewish too, lived in LA for 15yrs before moving to Canada. I love to cook and bake as well. Do you ever cook/bake Jewish foods?

    Randi on May 28th, 2006 7:15 am

    I left the comment before I saw all the passover items you baked. Sorry about that.

    Samphire on June 14th, 2006 4:05 am

    Hi Hilary, couple of questions which I’d love to know the answers to. Firstly, is the shortening essential to the quality of the end product, or can the cakes be made with all butter? Secondly, I’m intrigued by the need to grind the sugar until fine. Is this because you don’t have what us Brits call Caster Sugar (very fine & ideal for baking) Stateside, or does the sugar need to be even finer than Caster grade? Thanks for giving this your thought…

    Hilary on June 14th, 2006 4:18 am

    Hi Samphire.

    Umm. I have a feeling I’m not going to be much help here. I have only made the recipe exactly as is–using shortening. Maybe one of my readers can help out?

    Re: the sugar. I’m not sure why the recipe calls for grinding the sugar. I found castor sugar (ultrafine or superfine sugar as we call it here) with no problem at my local market, and used that.

    Bailey on June 14th, 2006 4:40 am

    I’m pretty new to baking from scratch but i have found that you can make some thing better when you experiment with different things. Like… instead of
    using half and half use butter milk. Or use egg whites. You’ll just have to experiment. Sometimes it makes it better and sometimes it makes it worse. Oh…i almost forgot , if you don’t want to use a pan, just get tinfoil cupcake
    liners and it works really well!

    Yours till the cupcakes,
    Bailey

    scarlettholly on June 15th, 2006 12:56 pm

    I’m also a Brit, so we don’t have crisco - I have seen baking margerine in sainsburys, so I’ll try using the recipe for that. Does anyone have a good “british” ingredients recipe for buttercream? ta!

    Hilary on June 15th, 2006 4:13 pm

    Interesting. I’ll post if I find an equivilent to shortening for you. I didn’t know you couldn’t get it!

    Samphire on June 22nd, 2006 1:14 am

    So I was bored at work and curious and went and researched shortening. These guys here http://www.ochef.com/401.htm have great clear explanations of the whys and wherefores of the stuff. In summary, an all butter version off the cupcake would probably taste even better (if t’were posible!) but the texture may be affected, becoming heavier/denser…I guess I’m just going to have to try it and see…there’s always good old lard as well! Yummy, how I love my lard…

    justJENN on June 24th, 2006 11:23 am

    Damn I am having the same hard time with dense cupcakes! I’d try these but I loathe shortening. I do know that substituting shortening is a no go. So I usually just skip those recipes that use it all together. Darn.

    Meeme on February 1st, 2007 2:05 pm

    I made these twice but I used all butter and omitted almond(usually people dont respond well to it) They were soft and fluffy.

    Beckie on June 1st, 2007 9:02 am

    Just making sure that this recipe really asks for a tablespoon of baking powder…I’m excited to try it out and don’t want them to bomb! :-)

    Thanks!

    Hilary on June 1st, 2007 10:08 am

    Yes, they really have a tablespoon of baking powder. Why is everyone questioning this suddenly?

    Beckie on June 2nd, 2007 9:18 am

    I shouldn’t have questioned you at all! I made these for a birthday party yesterday–mini cupcakes decorated to look like sushi and they were a HUGE hit! Thank you!

    Veronica on August 26th, 2007 10:11 pm

    These cupcakes are tremendous! The tops of them got crispy and browned (like Angel Food Cake almost) and that with the lovely moist-fluff center was SO nice. Ten times better than any cake mix. I topped each of them with an Almond Buttercream, Maraschino Cherry, and four Pale Yellow NonPareils.

    One question though.. I like my cupcakes to be domed on top, and these were flat on top, is there anything I could add to puff them upwards? They spread out to the sides quite a bit, but I would like them to go UP, not out.

    Thanks so much,
    Veronica

    Kesha on March 10th, 2008 7:28 am

    I tried these and I think I baked them 2 minutes too long. I know your notes said 18 mins, but I went for 20 and they ended up with a muffin texture instead of a cupcake. Also, I don’t know if grinding my sugar in my mini food processor made much of a difference. I didn’t see ultra fine sugar in my local store, so maybe that made the difference as well. I’ll try again when I can find the sugar and I’ll be sure to bake them for 18 mins!!

    Korie on June 13th, 2008 1:34 pm

    so mine didnt raise … could I have done something wrong?

    Simone on August 12th, 2008 8:28 am

    I need to make this recipe tonight for my mom’s group in the morning. I have two questions:

    1. I don’t have a food processor. Can I “grind” the sugar using a rolling pin or something else?

    2. I’ve never heard of cake flour. What is the name of the grocery store you have purchased it at? Or do you know where I can get it?

    Hilary on August 12th, 2008 8:32 am

    1. Sure.

    2. Cake flour is with the other flours in the baking aisles. Sometimes it is near the cake mixes because the box looks like a cake mix. Here it is: http://www.prestoflour.com/Portals/SwansDown/Portal.aspx?tabid=15, and you should be able to find it at any market.

    Simone on August 12th, 2008 8:39 am

    Fast response! Thanks!

    jess on November 12th, 2008 9:53 am

    yo, i just made some cupcakes last night, but they turned out (like always) not incredibly moist and slightly crispier on the top. i’m really into baking things from scratch lately, and I just want to know if you have any tips that could make this better, or any common knowledge about baking from scratch that i need to know that could help me… thanks!