Citrus Cupcakes (new & improved): Recipe Coming SOON!

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Very Vanilla Cupcakes

I'm not sure why I've been avoiding the basics for so long, but before today I have never made a (from scratch) classic vanilla or classic chocolate cake. How on earth has this happened?! Well, to fix this problem right away, I've made vanilla cupcakes with vanilla bean frosting. I have discovered one of the most amazing secret ingredients known to (wo)man - Vanilla Bean Paste. It's much more intense than vanilla extract, but I was looking for a vanilla cake that would stand out from the norm so I am A-OK with that. I incorporated it into both my cake and the icing but depending on your personal preference, it may not be something you're interested in. I was told by someone whose taste buds I trust whole-heartedly that it tasted like vanilla bean ice cream...that being one of my go-to ice cream flavors, I will pass this recipe on with no hesitation!

Vanilla Cupcakes:

3 C Flour

1 C (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened

2 C Sugar

4 Large Eggs, at room temp

1 C Milk

1 tsp Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two 12 cup muffin tins with cupcake liners. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Mix the milk and vanilla in a small bowl (I just used my measuring cup) and set aside as well.

In a large bowl, on medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk mixture (about 3 parts each). With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Remove the mixer bowl and scrape the sides with a spatula & stir to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool in tins for about 15 minutes, remove and cool completely before icing.

Frosting:

1 C (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened

5-6 C Confectioners' Sugar (I probably used more like 4 or so C)

2 tsp Vanilla

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. In about 3 parts, add the powdered sugar until well blended. You'll need to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times during this process. Mix vanilla into the frosting and ice the cakes!

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Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Buttercream

A recipe that combines anything red velvet, brownies or white chocolate is a friend of mine. Add a Ghirardelli twist and I'm in a state of absolute bliss! Instead of making these in an 8x8 pans, I made individual brownies in a cupcake tin. The edges were crispy but the insides were perfect, so if you're a corner brownie kind of guy/gal I would suggest making (and eating) the smaller servings. You'll notice a lot of my recipes are made for easy sharing and that's because I like to keep things simple for my amazing group of taste-testers at work & home. No dishes to clean up, no long lines to wait in, no messy knife to cut with that someone blindly left in the middle of the cake pan...you know, just easy. However, any recipe listed so far can also easily be made into a standard cake size as well. These red velvet brownies would be fabulous made either way! Oh, and the icing is a definite keeper for ANY cake that white chocolate could work for. Just be sure not to overheat the white chocolate when you're melting it as it will burn quickly.

Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Buttercream

For the brownies:

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 oz red food coloring (yes, a whole bottle)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, slowly stir together the cocoa powder, food coloring, and vanilla into a thick paste until no lumps of cocoa remain. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. With the mixer off, add in the cocoa mixture, then turn the mixer to medium and beat the two mixtures together until they are one uniform color. Mix the flour and salt together and slowly add to the main mix on medium-low speed, just until combined. Do not overmix.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir up the batter with a rubber spatula once or twice just to ensure all of the flour has incorporated from the sides of the bowl and there isn’t anything stuck on the bottom of the bowl. You’ll want one uniformly colored batter (velvety Red, of course).

Pour the batter into a prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the brownies. Allow brownies to completely cool in the pan on a baking rack before frosting.

For the white chocolate buttercream frosting:

1/2 cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 oz good-quality white chocolate (not chips), melted

In a stand mixer, cream butter until soft and fluffy then beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time; allow the sugar to mix in before adding the next 1/2 cup. Once all of the sugar has been added, beat on medium speed for 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the melted white chocolate and beat on medium speed until incorporated.

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