Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Buttercream

I love cupcakes, they are generally small and cute, and the perfect size for one serving. When I went to make these vanilla bean cupcakes, I realized I did not have the vanilla bean...Hmmm. Should I try it with regular vanilla, which would still be tasty, but that wasn't enough I thought. So what did I do, I turned to my trusty Penzeys Vanilla. Which if you choose to use this wonderful vanilla, there is actually a vanilla bean in the bottle (with the extract!) So I fished it out, took my paring knife with a freshly sharpened tip, split the bean open, scraped the seeds out and added them to the mix. Crisis averted-right?!



You'll notice in the image below the cupcake has a bit of sparkle to it, which is due to the sugar glitter I used to dress her up. The sugar glitter I used was purchased at Michael's.



Vanilla Bean Cupcakes (from Williams Sonoma)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 whole egg plus 1 egg white, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract (and if you are using, the seeds from one vanilla bean)
1/2 cup milk
Vanilla buttercream for frosting cupcakes


Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan ( or use your 6 cup muffin pan twice) with paper or foil liners.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the sugar and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the egg and egg white one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk in 2 additions, beating until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat just until no traces of flour remain, about 30 seconds; do not over beat.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Bake until the cupcakes are lightly golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Then transfer the cupcakes to the rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Frost the cupcakes with the buttercream. (The frosted cupcakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before finishing.)

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (William Sonoma)

6 cups confectioners’ sugar
16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 1/2 Tbs. milk, plus more, if needed
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
Food colorings (optional)

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the confectioners sugar, butter, the 4 1/2 Tbs. milk, the vanilla and salt and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

If the frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks. Tint with food coloring as desired. Makes about 4 cups.