These vanilla cupcakes are one of my favourites because they are so easy to make and very versatile. You can combine them with any flavour (or colour!!) of frosting and they’ll taste great! It’s important to use a good quality vanilla for this recipe because you really want the flavour to stand out. The icing I most often use for these is my classic vanilla frosting.

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup butter, softened

For the frosting:

• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 4-5 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line muffin pan with paper liners.
2. In a small bowl or cup, stir together the buttermilk and vanilla. Set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a handheld mixer, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
4. Next, add the cubed butter, a few pieces at a time, until the mixture resembles coarse sand. This should take about two minutes.
5. Add in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated.
6. Mix in the buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until fully combined.
7. Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake liners about half-way full.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean Cool cupcakes completely on a wire rack before icing.
9. For the frosting: using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy and nearly doubled in volume. This will take about 10 minutes.
10. Next, add the vanilla and salt. Mix until combined.
11. Reduce mixer speed to low and add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

*Yield: Approximately 12 cupcakes

**I used Ateco tip #849 to get those perfectly piped swirls.