-
1
Special Equipment: One 12-cup standard muffin pans; 12 paper baking cup liners; spatula; offset spatula or piping bag fitted with desired tip
-
2
Position one oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350u00b0F/180u00b0C/gas 4. Line the standard muffin tin with paper cup liners and set aside.
-
3
Make the cupcakes. In a small mixing bowl, add 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Fit the KitchenAid(R) 7-Speed Hand Mixer with the turbo beater attachments. Place the beaters into the flour mixture and turn to speed 2. Mix until combined. Turn off the mixer. Set the flour mixture aside.
-
4
In a medium mixing bowl add 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup sugar, and vanilla bean seeds from 1/2 a pod. Place the beaters into the bowl and turn to speed 2 until roughly incorporated, then increase to speed 6 and mix until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Halfway through mixing, stop the mixer to scrape the bowl and beaters with a spatula. Chef's Notes: To scrape a vanilla bean, put the bean on a cutting surface. Using the tip of the paring knife, cut the bean lengthwise. Then, using the point, or edge of the knife, scrape the seeds loose from the pod and add to your recipe.
-
5
Once the butter and sugar is properly creamed, reduce to speed 2 and add 2 eggs one at a time, letting each egg fully incorporate before adding the next. the second egg is fully incorporated, stop the mixer to scrape down the bowl and beaters.
-
6
Place the beaters back into the bowl and turn to speed 2. Sprinkle in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/3 of the buttermilk (1/4 cup). Repeat the process, alternating the flour and buttermilk until just incorporated. Stop the mixer to scrape the bowl and beaters. Place the beaters back into the batter and turn to speed 6 to ensure everything is mixed properly, another 30-40 seconds. The batter should be creamy and thick.
-
7
Fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 full. Bake until the cupcakes just begin to color and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 18-22 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking. Cool the pan on a wire baking rack for 3 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan, place back on the rack, and cool to room temperature before frosting. Chef's Notes: To achieve a light and moist cupcake, it's important that you not over-bake the cupcakes. The cupcake should still be very light in color, have risen just slightly, with a slight browning along the edges. Additionally, only let the cupcakes sit in the baking pan for 3-5 minutes before taking them out of the pan (the heat from the pan can cause the cupcakes to overcook).
-
8
Make the mascarpone buttercream. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the buttercream. In a medium mixing bowl, add 1 cup butter, 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, and 1/2 vanilla bean pod. Fit the hand mixer with the turbo beater attachments. Place the beaters into the mixture and turn to speed 5. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Stop the mixer. Add 3 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Place the beaters back into the bowl and turn to speed 2. Mix until all the confectioners' sugar is incorporated and the mixture is creamy, 2-3 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape the bowl and beaters as needed during mixing. Once creamy, turn to speed 6 and whip until the buttercream is light, airy, and soft, another 3-4 minutes. Halfway through the mixing process, scrape down the bowl using a spatula. Chef's Notes: To achieve a light texture for the buttercream, the butter and mascarpone cheese must be whipped to a light and fluffy consistency. It seems like a lot of mixing time, but the result yields a better product. If improperly mixed, the buttercream will be heavy and taste like butter.
-
9
Assemble the cupcakes. Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired (either with a spreader, or with a piping bag).
-
10
Chef's Notes: Unfrosted cupcakes will keep in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag for up to two weeks in the freezer. Frosted cupcakes will keep for 2 days stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Buttercream can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week, or can be kept in the freezer for up to 1 month. Re-warm to room temperature and re-whip before using.
-
11
Mix It Up!: Buttercream is extremely versatile. Try one of these other variations:
-
12
Boozy Buttercream - 2 Tbs your favorite liquor; add liquor to the buttercream when adding the vanilla extract.
-
13
Spiced Buttercream - 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves; Add ingredients to the buttercream when adding vanilla extract.
-
14
Coffee Buttercream with Shaved Chocolate - 1/2 tsp coffee extract, 1/4 cup shaved dark chocolate; Add the coffee extract to the buttercream when adding the vanilla extract.
-
15
For a lesser known, but equally delicious option, give German Buttercream a try - butter is whipped with pastry cream. The result is a buttercream that tastes like whipped vanilla pudding. - Pastry Cream for German Buttercream - 1 cup whole milk, 1/2 vanilla bean (halved lengthwise), 1/2 cup granulated sugar (divided), 2 large egg yolks, 1 large egg, 2 1/2 tsp cornstarch, 1/8 tsp fine sea salt, 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract; DIRECTIONS: In a medium saucepan add the whole milk, vanilla pod and seeds, and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, egg yolks, whole egg, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside. Place the saucepan over a stove set to medium heat. Whisk frequently until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a simmer, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the vanilla pod. Pour 1/2 of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking the egg mixture as you stream in the milk (this will keep the eggs from scrambling). Whisk until smooth and pour through a fine mesh strainer back into the remaining hot milk in the saucepan. Whisk until smooth. Place the saucepan back onto the stove and turn to medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until the custard turns thick and is a bit lumpy, 1.5-2 minutes. As soon as the custard begins to bubble, continue to cook for 1 more minute to cook off the starch. Note: cooked pastry cream should read 200u00b0F/93u00b0C on a thermometer. Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour the pastry cream into a medium, shallow container (to help speed the cooling process) and place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the pastry cream to prevent it from forming a skin. Place in the fridge until the pastry cream has thickened and cooled to room temperature, about 1 hour. Once the pastry cream has cooled, remove from the fridge and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, add the butter (omit the mascarpone cheese for this recipe). Fit the hand mixer with the turbo beater attachments. Place the beaters in the butter and turn to speed 5. Beat until the butter is light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Then, while mixing, add the pastry cream a Tablespoon at a time until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stop the mixer to scrape the bowl and beaters as needed during mixing. Once creamy, stop the mixer and remove the beaters. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment and place back into the bowl. Turn to speed 6 and whip until the buttercream is light, airy, and soft, another 3-4 minutes.
