My Favourite White Cupcakes & Vanilla Butter Frosting

Finding my favourite white cupcake recipe was a hard task, but I was more than up for the challenge.  When my niece asked if I would make the cupcakes for her wedding, I was both honoured and excited.  I wanted to find a recipe that was delicious yet simple, especially with 12 dozen to bake.  It didn't take me long to find this recipe and I have since made it so many times, I'm pretty sure I could bake them in my sleep!

These are a few of Emily's wedding cupcakes.  They looked great in their cupcake stands and (thankfully, phew) got rave reviews.  I love the white pearls by Wilton and the small sprinkles (also Wilton) that I used to decorate them... they are not hard like the silver ones.  I wish I would have gotten some more shots of them in the completed stage, but it was that or blow dry my hair... vanity won.

Yesterday, I whipped up another batch to make into these yummy rainbow-coloured cupcakes to give as a gift and some for Chelsea, who has been asking for rainbow cupcakes since seeing them on 'Mike the Knight'.  Just looking at them makes me happy inside.

My Favourite White Cupcakes
Adapted from Curious Cupcakes / Makes 24 Cupcakes

4 lg egg whites
1 cup 2% milk
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup (12 tbsp) salted butter, room temperature

In a bowl (or 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup for easy pouring), combine egg whites, milk and vanilla, whisking lightly.  Set aside.  In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, stir together cake flour (I measure all of my flour by filling the cup by spoon and then levelling off with a knife, my cake flour was pre-sifted, so I don't bother doing it again), sugar and baking powder.  Add in butter and mix on low until the flour settles down and then turn it up to about speed 3 and let run until butter is fully incorporated into the dry ingredients, about 2 minutes.  Return to low speed and mix in the liquid in 3 equal parts, mixing for about 20 seconds in between each addition.  After adding in the last of the liquid, put back up on speed 3 or so and let mix for another 20 seconds.  Spoon equally into 24 muffin tins (with liners) and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 18 minutes.

If desired, brush with simple syrup when the cupcakes are hot out of the oven.  I did this with Emily's cupcakes as I was terrified of serving dry cupcakes at her wedding, but these stay quite moist until at least the next day as is.  When in doubt, give them a brush.

Allow to cool fully and then frost.

Simple Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar

Stir together and bring to boil in small saucepan, making sure all sugar is dissolved.  Allow to cool and store in the fridge in a closed container (or bottle).  If kept in a closed bottle this will keep pretty much indefinitely and can be used for other baking, drinks or iced coffees.

Vanilla Butter Frosting

1 cup salted butter
4 cups icing sugar
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp coffee cream

To make the frosting, fit stand mixer with the paddle attachment and cream the butter well while you measure the other ingredients.  Add the vanilla, cream and icing sugar and turn on the lowest speed or you'll be in a shower of icing sugar.  Once the sugar starts to combine, turn the speed up gradually until you reach about mid-speed.  Allow to continue beating 4-5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.

I love frosting cupcakes with the Wilton 1M tip, it's so pretty and so quick.  The colour that you see in the frosting of the rainbow cupcakes is some Wilton purple edible glitter...   If you have any frosting left, it freezes well and it can be stored in the fridge for a week or two, just give it a quick beat in the mixer to lighten it back up.  If you are making a large batch, it works out to a pound of butter, a 1kg bag of icing sugar, 2 tbsp cream and 2 tbsp vanilla.

To make the rainbow (or tie-dye) cupcakes, simply separate the batter into as many bowls as you wish, dye the batters and spoon them individually into the cupcake liners.   While I used a ton of Wilton products, this is not a sponsored post.  However, should anyone from Wilton like to fix me up with some cool products to try, I would love it (hint, hint)!

Enjoy!  Cheers to a happy and healthy 2012!
~Heather