I made these vanilla cupcakes for my SIL’s baby sprinkle (or “spritz”, as I liked to call it) to go along with these chocolate cupcakes.

The cupcake recipe is from Sally’s Baking Addiction because I knew they would turn out successfully. The cupcake is quite good, and I added pastel-colored sprinkles to make them “funfetti” cupcakes. Given my wife’s positive comments, I might even tinker with it for her birthday cake this year (with this frosting). The recipe says that it makes 14 cupcakes, but I was determined to fit the batter into one cupcake pan. Well, it turns out the recipe probably makes 14 cupcakes, because it was juuuuust too much batter for 12.

I used the same frosting for both recipes to kill two birds with one stone by doubling Sally’s favorite vanilla buttercream recipe. I colored the chocolate cupcake frosting pink/red and the vanilla cupcakes purple/lavender, as my SIL is having a baby girl. It’s a very nice, traditional frosting that crusts and pipes well.

VANILLA CUPCAKES
Based on this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Vanilla Cupcakes:
1 3/4 cups (200 g) cake flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. butter extract (optional)
Seeds scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean
1/2 cup (120 g) full-fat sour cream, room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature

Vanilla Buttercream:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4-5 cups (480-600 g) powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS

1. For the cupcakes: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter on high speed for 1 minute until smooth.
4. Add the sugar, then beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together, scraping down the sides as needed.
5. Add the egg whites, vanilla, and vanilla bean seeds, then beat on medium-high speed until combined.
6. Add the sour cream, then beat on medium-high speed until combined.
7. On low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated, then slowly add the milk until combined.
8. Spoon the batter into the liners (~2/3 full). Bake 19-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
10. For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed for 2 minutes.
11. Add 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt on low speed, then increase to high speed for 3 minutes.
12. If frosting is too thin, add 1/2 cup more powdered sugar. If frosting is too thick, add another tablespoon of heavy cream.
13. Frost and decorate cupcakes as desired.