MB Vanilla Cupcakes

MB vanilla cupcakes. That would be Magnolia Bakery (of New York fame) vanilla cupcakes, and yes ma'am: it's the very same recipe that has been doing the rounds on several blogs.

I hosted Miss Northstrom's Bridal Shower this past weekend, you see, and wanted to make a vanilla cupcake for the occasion. I already had a good "pink (lemonade)" one and a lovely dark chocolate, so vanilla was the obvious choice for the third flavor. I decided to give the Magnolia Bakery recipe a shot because hey, what the heck. Plenty of others are doing it too (let's hear it for peer pressure!)

Of note: while a visit to the Magnolia Bakery seems to be a NYC Tourist's Dream, in actuality I hear that the vanilla cupcakes are a wee bit bland and dry (the Hummingbird cupcake there is well received, however, so if you visit the Bakery do go that route!). I didn't want sawdust cupcakes, so I changed the recipe up a little bit. Fats make a cake more moist, so I went with yogurt instead of plain old milk (as the original recipe called for). Seemed to do the trick, my cupcakes were moist instead of dry. The extra vanilla seemed to give it a good flavor as well. I think this is a decent basic vanilla cake recipe if you need one. Definitely worth giving a shot!

MB Vanilla Cupcakes
(makes 2 dozen cupcakes)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. self-rising flour
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 c. sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 c. yogurt or sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.

Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing. Note: I did not use the Magnolia Bakery buttercream recipe, instead opting to use my regular old stand by (as can be seen in past posts). It worked just fine.