Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes with Whipped Vanilla Frosting

Thank you for joining Cassidy and me for some baking fun! We have been watching The Food Network's CUPCAKE WARS, and we want to get in on this yummy obsession. We will experiment with lots of delicious cupcake recipes, decorations, and techniques. We'll have tons of fun doing it, and Cassidy will always look adorable!
     This is actually the third recipe of vanilla cupcakes that Cassidy and I have baked together. As it turns out, it's not easy to find a vanilla cake recipe that makes a cupcake as moist and delicious as one from a cake mix! This fluffy vanilla cake was good, but not quite good enough, possibly because of being slightly over baked. I was very careful not to over bake them, but maybe they need to be slightly underbaked and then let carryover cooking do the rest.
     Cassidy's daddy took some of these cupcakes to work this morning to share with his friends. In the words of his coworkers, "This frosting is ridiculous!" They thought it was the best stuff they'd ever tasted. It's no wonder, considering that it's almost entirely made of butter, and what's not to love about that?

 Cassidy places the liners in the cupcake pan.

 

"Okay, Mom! Done with that."

 "Let me get this open for you, Mommy."

 "Is this thing baby proof?"

 Nothing goes with cupcakes better than milk!
Now is a great time for a baba break.

 Combining the dry ingredients

3 sticks of butter after being whipped for 8 minutes

 

"What's in here?"

 "I definitely think we're going to need lots of this!"

Ready to whip the frosting! Wait! Where's Cassidy? Oh, yeah. As it 

turns out, Little Miss Baby Cakes is terribly afraid of the electric mixer! 

She should have mentioned that before we started all of this.

"I think this is gonna be good, Mommy. Let me try it!"

Cassidy's Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes with Whipped Vanilla Frosting

This recipe was from www.sweetapolita.com :

Fluffy Vanilla Cake

 5 large egg whites at room temperature

3/4 cup whole milk at room temperature

2 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 3/4 cup cake flour, sifted

1 3/4 cup sugar

1 TBSP + 1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

12 TBSP unsalted butter at room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

2. In a medium bowl or measuring cup, combine and stir the egg whites, 1/4 cup of milk, and the vanilla. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients together on low speed for 30 seconds.

4. Add the butter and remaining 1/2 cup of milk, and mix on low speed until just moistened. Increase to medium speed and mix for 1 1/2 minutes.

5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg mixture in 3 separate batches; beat on medium speed for 20 seconds after each addition.

7. Bake 25-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes clean when inserted into the center. Be so careful to not overbake.

Whipped Vanilla Frosting

3 sticks + 2 TBSP unsalted butter, softened

3 cups sifted confectioner's sugar

3 TBSP milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

1. Whip butter on medium speed for 8 minutes until pale and creamy.

2.  Add remaining ingredients and mix on low speed for 1 minute, then on medium speed for 6 minutes. Frosting will be very light, creamy, and fluffy.