My favorite cupcakes are these delicious moist vanilla cupcakes, topped with a delicious angel feather icing. So smooth and so delicious and perfect to make for your valentine in many lovely colors.
To decorate these cupcakes, I made a simple topper with just a paper punch, simple, but so cute!
Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!
Sweet Vanilla Cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
For the Cupcakes:
½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter
1 1/3 cup (300 g) regular sugar
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthways and seeds scraped out
2 large eggs
2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1¼ cup (300 ml) whole milk
Preheat the oven to 350 ºF (180 ºC).
For the Angel Feather Icing:
2 egg whites
¾ cup (170 g) regular sugar
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons liquid glucose
½ teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or seeds from ½ vanilla bean
Few drops food coloring (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
How to make the cupcakes:
- Put the butter, sugar and seeds from the vanilla bean into a mixing bowl. Beat until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time beating until the eggs are just incorporated.
- Add the vanilla extract with the last egg.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt at least twice.
- Tip into the mixing bowl with the milk and beat until everything is well blended.
- Line a cupcake tray with paper cases.
- I use an ice cream scoop to divide the mixture between the paper cases, that way the cupcakes will have the same size.
- Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for about 18 minutes.
- Leave to cool completely before decorating with Angel Feather Frosting.
How to make the icing:
- Put all the ingredients except the vanilla extract and food coloring into a bowl. If you are using vanilla seeds, you can add them now.
- Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Using a hand held electric whisk, start mixing on low speed. The sugar needs some time to dissolve.
- Increase the speed when the sugar has dissolved completely.
- Keep the bowl over the simmering water the whole time, beating for about 5 minutes until the volume is tripled.
- Take the pan off the heat, add vanilla extract and food coloring, if using. Beat for 1 minute.
- The Angel Feather Icing keeps well at room temperature for at least 2 days. It is perfect for decorating cupcakes, and it is childishly good.
How I frost the cupcakes:
- I do not use a pastry bag; instead, I apply by hand and stylized with the flick of a wrist and a classic frosting spatula.
