Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Hello friends, it’s Sabrina, did ya miss me? My dear sister has decided to let me have the reins for this post. Sometimes I feel like I’ve been relegated to her tablescaper bunker . When Sandra put together her Valentine’s Day table it looked like it was missing something. Her first instinct was to add more dishes or glasses. Sometimes you can have too many dishes and thingamajigs on the table. I suggested she be content with the table as it is and do a full blown Valentine’s dessert table. Well that idea went over like a lead balloon. It appears someone is concerned about too many calories and fat grams these days. Fancy that!

So we compromised on vanilla cupcakes and she even let me go through all of her bookmarked recipes and find one. Sandra hoards recipes just like she does tableware, I thought I’d never come across one. Thankfully, I’m the patient one in the family. I chose the Vanilla Bean Cupcake recipe from Café Sucrine. All the ingredients were on hand and it was a very straightforward recipe. I’ve heard sis say so many great things about Chris who runs the blog so I knew it had to be a good one.

The cupcakes were frosted with a vanilla buttercream and garnished with silver sanding sugar and holiday appropriates sprinkles. I hope you enjoy these cuppies as much as we did and don’t they look sooo cute on the table. I also hope I get to chat with you guys again real soon. Have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes – Café Sucrine

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
½ cup buttermilk or sour cream, room temperature
1 large eggs, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350˚ F. Line 18 muffin cups with paper or foil liners. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add butter, buttermilk (or sour cream), egg and egg yolks, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.

Divide batter evenly among cups of prepared tins. Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from tin and transfer to wire rack; cool cupcakes to room temperature before frosting.