The Best Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

I consider myself somewhat of a cupcake aficionado.  I've been on the cupcake bus since... well, as long as I can remember.  In my catering and wedding planning days, I made (I'm guessing...) thousands of cupcakes for my clients.  I once did a Bridal Fair and was told to be prepared for 3,000 brides to visit my booth... So, I made 3,000 mini cupcakes topped with a pale blue buttercream that I dubbed "Bliss Blue."  Obviously the booth was a big hit.

My first 'gourmet' cupcake was at Sprinkles in Beverly Hills 10-12 years ago(?).  Since then I make a point taste cupcakes from any cupcakerie that I pass.  An occupational obligation.  Some of my favorites include Georgetown Cupcakes (tv show, DC Cupcake), Sweet (Back Bay, Boston), Sprinkles (DC - remember the cherry blossom cupcakes I made?!), Cupcake A La Mode (Kansas City), Dolce (Kansas City), and most recently Magnolia Bakery.

When we were in New York for a wedding this Spring, I had my first experience at Magnolia Bakery.  I'm a tough critic- but I thought these were some of the best cupcakes I've ever tasted.  Mostly, I loved the very vanilla-y, soft and creamy buttercream.

Emma's 7th month birthday was on the 15th, so yesterday I made a batch of Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Cupakes topped with Bliss Blue Vanilla Buttercream.  Basically, I just needed an excuse.

*New : Here is a link to my new store with all of my favorite Baking Essentials - the perfect cupcake liners, disposable piping bags, etc. to make your cupcake making easy.


Magnolia Bakery's
Vanilla Cupcakes


1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 (1/2 cup-12 capacity) 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, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. 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 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

  
My favorite cupcake liners : a little taller than most papers, but still fit in a standard muffin pan for professional looking cupcakes.


Vanilla Buttercream:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Yield: enough for 2 dozen cupcakes or 1 (9-inch) layer cake

 Make sure you beat the icing for 3-5 minutes to get the super creamy consistency.




 As I talked about at length in my Heirloom Pumpkin Sugar Cookies post, when I'm mixing icing colors I always add a little touch of the opposite of the color I'm mixing to achieve a muted color that looks more sophisticated.  In this instance since I was making blue, I added just a touch of red (far left) and yellow (middle) to the blue (right).  By adding the red and yellow (or orange... I didn't have any) the color will appear more muted and not so bright.  It sounds strange, but it really works.

Ready to frost - I opted for a homemade looking cupcake versus my typical piped on swirl.

I tried to mimic the famous Magnolia swirl... it was hard to copy!

Again... here is a link to my new store with all of my favorite Baking Essentials - the perfect cupcake liners (a little taller than most for professional looking cupcakes), disposable piping bags, etc. to make your cupcake making easy.

Jazzing Up Frozen Ravioli | Ravioli with pancetta, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach & cream | Frozen Ravioli

While I like to make homemade pasta and ravioli on a weekend when we've got more time, we still have to eat dinner Monday - Thursday.  So to everyone's relief, this is a recipe for jazzing up frozen ravioli with a quick sauce.

I'm not sure if I ever really got the need for a really quick and easy dinner before Emma.  The evenings seem to go by in a flash - Mike gets home at 6:30, dinner at 7:00, bath at 7:30 and Emma's in bed at 8:00 (hopefully).  So, my dinner fixing window is somewhere between 6:30 to 7:00 while Mike feeds Emma her dinner of mashed sweet potatoes and pureed pears.

Start to finish this is a 15 minute meal that uses two pans - one for boiling water and the other to saute the sauce.  My dishwasher (Mike) appreciates the quick cleanup! 

Jazzed Up 
Frozen Ravioli
with pancetta, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach & cream


1 bag of frozen ravioli (I used two different kinds- cheese & red pepper)
1/4 pound of pancetta, diced

10 mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons of olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 large can of whole tomatoes, crushed by hand, include juice

1/4 cup of heavy cream

2 cups of spinach

fresh parmesan

Boil water for the ravioli.  The water should should be boiling and ready for the ravioli just as the sauce is ready. 

Start by sautéing the pancetta for 2-3 minutes until it begins to brown.  Add mushrooms and olive oil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds being careful not to burn it. Add in the crushed tomatoes and its juice. Stir in the heavy cream.  Reduce to simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes on low.  Add spinach.  Turn off the heat.

Add ravioli to the boiling water.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.  

Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, set aside. Drain the ravioli and put it (without rinsing) into the sauce. Toss. If the sauce needs thinning, add a small amount of the reserved pasta water. Top with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Whoopie Pies | Whoopie Pies from a Cake Mix | Fluffy Cake Cookies with Buttercream Filling

Here's another re-post of a favorite recipe... Whoopie Pies.  This post receives a ton of traffic from google for people searching "Whoopie Pie from a Cake Mix."  I guess everyone likes a good ole treat with a good ole shortcut!

Our House Project is in the home stretch... 4 months down, 3 more months to go.  That's the home stretch, right?  I know everyone is ready for Spring, but for us, Spring means getting to move in to our new home that we've been planning for 2 years and saving for 4.  Gulp.

It was 68 degrees here yesterday... and I feel like I've tricked myself into believing that spring is almost here.   I'm in pre-spring cleaning mode at the store, moving everything out to make room.  In the Sale section, I've marked down lots of products, including Valentine's Day goodies - copper cookie cutters, ribbons, baking supplies, etc.  

Almost everything 20-50%.  I'm also reactivating the $5 Shipping on orders over $50.  Go crazy.  Buy goodies for your Valentines and a couple of things for yourself ; )

Shop the Everyday Occasions Store, here.

Whoopie Pies
the new cupcake?


These light and fluffy cake cookie sandwiches are all of the rage these days.  I recently read an article (NY Times, maybe?) that claimed the Whoopie Pie was the new cupcake.  Wow.  Bold statement!

I'm not sure about the new cupcake, but I do like that they are a more 'homey' rustic dessert that seems to have a casual quality, as apposed to the 'pretty' cupcake with the swirls of icing.  In fact, they might be a more 'manly' cupcake option.  Definitely a more transportable cupcake option - even after years of catering and delivering cupcakes, it is always one of my biggest struggles!

On the 'manly' note, Mike specifically requested these this week after his first Whoopie Pie experience while visiting our friends in Maine last weekend.  I knew he would love them as his favorite cake combo is chocolate cake with white icing.  A Whoopie Pie fan was his destiny. 

Like cupcakes the possibilities are endless.  I had a friend post of my facebook wall today that she had recently heard of a Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pie.  I can only image that with fluffy cream cheese icing.  Oh wow.  I will definitely be experimenting with that this Fall.

While looking at different recipes online today, I found many different looking whoopie pies.  For me, a great Whoopie is in the lightness and fluffiness of the cake AND the icing.  The entire thing should taste like a fluffy, chocolate and cream cloud.

I am a huge fan of anything that starts with a cake mix.  For some reason, it just seems more manageable if it starts with a box!  The result was great... and very quick to make.  Highly, highly recommended.  Oh, and what makes these even better is they are great to freeze, too.  I'm going to put them in the freezer to get out for Mike's lunches everyday. 

Whoopie Pies
from a cake mix

1 chocolate cake mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
........

2 sticks of butter, softened
3-4 cups of powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a mixer, combine cake mix, eggs, water and oil.  Whip together for 2-3 minutes.

On a parchment paper* or Silpat lined baking sheet, scoop out batter into round mounds.  I used a small ice cream scoop that measured 1 2/3 inches in diameter.  Use the back of a spoon to round out scoops of batter into perfect circles.

*I've switched to using pre-cut parchment sheets that fit perfectly in a sheet pan... they are a dream.  They are non-stick and you can just throw them away after you use them.  I use them for everything - cookies, roasting vegetables, meatballs, etc.  I'm stocking them in my store as one of my favorite "essentials" - 200 sheets for $12... which should be a year supply.  No more washing the silpat.

Bake for 8 minutes.  Cool.

For the icing, in your mixer with the paddle attachment, whip together butter and sugar (start with 3 cups of powdered sugar, then add more if necessary for thickness).  Whip for 5 minutes until light and fluffy (the extra time makes all the difference!).  Scoop into a pastry bag (you can buy here, 20 bags for $12) with the end cut with a 1/2 inch opening.

To fill, pipe icing onto the bottom cookie (wrong side up), then top with another cookie (right side up).

You can make any size you'd like, these ended up being almost 5 inches!  

 *Again, I've switched to using pre-cut parchment sheets - one of my new favorite things.

 

Whipping the butter and powdered sugar for 5 minutes gives it a really fluffy, airy quality. 

 
 
Here is my pastry bag with the end cut off... also one of my favorite things.  They make it so much easier to control rather than just spreading with a knife.  I use disposable so I don't have to worry about washing it... I can just toss it.  Usually I have a little left in the bag, so I just put the bag in the refrigerator, then get it out anytime I need a little icing.  You can buy them here.
 

Bottom half.


...and top.  Looks like a big fluffy oreo, right?!  I think I must go have another one right now with a big glass of milk.

How cute would they looked piled in these Pink Bakery Boxes (you can find them here, 10 for $8)  for Valentine's Day!?  I can just picture them stacked in with parchment sheets in between.... maybe the sides of the icing are covered with valentine's sprinkles?!  Ok, I think I'll have to try that now.

East Hampton Weekend : Barefoot Contessa Sighting & Martha Stewart's Home

Sometimes I still can't believe we sat next to the Barefoot Contessa at dinner last year when we visited the Hamptons... I just had to share this post again!  Thanks for re-reading some of my favorite posts lately - Emma and I have been taking a little Summer break this week!  I'm working on some home projects (lots of spray paint and stripping wood involved) that I'll be sharing next week.  Oh, and I'm trying to convince Mike to build me a giant wood bed... I'm hoping he'll be able to copy the Pottery Barn Sommerset Bed.  Check back soon for all of those updates!

We had dinner and drinks at The 1770 House.  The parlor was so handsome and cozy...  For dinner, we were seated in "The Tavern" of the restaurant - the basement of the antique house was dark, cozy, and candlelit - not stuffy at all.

We happened to be seated right next to The Barefoot Contessa herself!

This is Ina Garten's (The Barefoot Contessa) favorite spots... she had this signed copy in the parlor - she's used a couple of her favorite recipes from the restaurant (1770 House) in her book (ex. meatloaf).

To our absolute thrill and shock, we were seated at the next table over from hers!  We didn't want to interrupt her dinner with Jeffrey and her friends (two other couples), so we abstained from taking any photos or saying 'hi' - even-though it nearly killed me!  I was just concentrating on acting normal - I could hardly think of anything else.

It was so interesting to see her in one of her favorite spots enjoying an intimate dinner with friends - just witnessing her was a pleasure.   Their evening was just as I imagined it would be - they had boisterous conversations, were laughing plenty, and she invited them all over for drinks at their home at around 10pm.

Cream Puffs filled with Homemade Vanilla Custard and Chocolate Sauce

You might recall that my last post was a "Lightened Up Summer Supper."  You must think I've lost it following up with this Cream Puffs post.  Sorry.  This was actually a dessert I made at my Mom's house during the feasting, so it's decadence was more appropriate at the time than it's timing here.  And let's face it... no one wants to read about a healthy dinner, right?  Not two posts in a row, at least.
Here we go...

When we were little, my sister and I lived for Potlucks at Church.

That might be an overstatement.  However, it did make getting up for Church a lot more exciting knowing that after the service a buffet of casseroles, homemade rolls, molded jello 'specialties' and a spread of cakes and pies awaited us in the basement (yes, the same basement in which we hosted Emma's Baptism Brunch).  Nothing like sweets and carbs to motivate youngsters.  And oldsters, for that matter.  (The 'youngsters' is a shoutout to our childhood Pastor that always referred to kids as 'youngsters.'  The 'oldsters' was just my endless creativity at work.)

One Potluck dessert that was particularly coveted was Mrs. Schluetter's* Homemade Cream Puffs.  *Her name has been changed for her protection, and because I can't remember it.  They were light, free-form puffs, filled with custard and dusted with powdered sugar.  And there were only about a dozen of them.  An early lesson of supply and demand.

Jill and I probably helped ourselves to seconds even before hitting the line of various Baked Mac and Cheeses and Green Bean Casseroles.  Yes, I realize that that was rude and inconsiderate of us to all of the other patrons, but only so many lessons can be learned from a Cream Puff.  And the lesson we elected was "Get while the Gettin' is Good."  (My parents are shuttering right now...)

Here is my version of these beloved Cream Puffs.  I topped them with Chocolate Sauce, but almost wish I would've dusted them with powdered sugar to have been able to really enjoy the delicate puff and homemade custard.  That Mrs. Schluetter knew what she was doing.  You can pick your poison.

Homemade Cream Puffs
with Vanilla Custard


Pâte à Choux (Puff Pastry):

1 stick of butter, cut into pieces
1 cup of water
1½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bring water, butter, sugar, salt and vanilla to a boil.

Remove pan from heat and add flour, stirring with wooden spoon until dough separates from sides of pan.   Add 1 egg at a time, stirring until dough smooths out.

On a silpat lined (or parchment or sprayed) baking sheet, make 12 dollops. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees, then 20 minutes at 300 degrees.  Remove from oven and let puffs cool. 

Vanilla Custard :

2 cups heavy cream
½ cup sugar
Pinch salt
5 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons of cornstarch
4 tablespoons of cold butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste or extract

To make the pastry cream, heat cream, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.  Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk until the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds.  Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.

When the cream mixture has reached a simmer, slowly add it to the egg mixture while whisking constantly.  Return the mixture to the saucepan.  Return the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture has thickened, approx. 30 seconds.  Remove from the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla.  Place in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Chill before filling puffs, unless you'd like to serve them warm... which is fabulous.

Lightened Up Summer Supper and Photos from Our Trip Home for the 4th of July

Sorry I've been gone so long - we're (finally) back in the swing of things after our trip back home for the 4th of July.  We came back stuffed.  When we go back to visit it seems like every meal is an event- whether it be a huge family dinner or lunch at one of our old favorites.

I mowed through baskets of chips and salsa at my favorite Mexican restaurant, we had barbeque at least twice, 2 chocolate cakes (one topped with a warm peanut butter icing...) and lots of milkshakes before bed.  Funny- before Emma was born we usually had a couple of glasses of wine before bed.  Now, it's milkshakes. 

So I didn't need to get out my old maternity 'stretchers,' we majorly lightened up dinner when we got home.  Except for the fresh mozzarella.  And the pancetta.  And the butter on the corn.

Here are some photos of our visit.  I don't have very many- I'm so bad at taking pictures when I'm 'off duty!' 

Our wedding photographer, Claire Ryser, came out to my parents' house to take photos of Emma and Sam on Sunday morning.  I can't wait to get her images.  Here is a link to our wedding photos, if you haven't seen them yet.  Claire is the absolute best- I can't say enough about her.

Do you want to know just how good Claire is?  She said she likes to wear graphic black and white clothes when she is doing a baby shoot so they find her interesting.  How great (and smart) is that.

Emma really liked the grass.  Even more than she liked looking up and smiling for the camera... which she only did for about 30 seconds the entire morning.

Gotta love a baby in a basket.

I should've taken a video of this... Mike playing peekaboo with the basket.  It was a major workout to try to get Miss Emma to giggle at 7am.

I think the poor thing was teething... finding comfort in the flowers on her dress.

Sam and Emma getting ready for their scene.

Sam has graduated to the big swing!  

And pink toenails. 

Here is Emma meeting her new cousin, Murphy.

I think she likes him.

Nevermind.

Here's a little video of Sam playing with Emma.  It might be the cutest thing I've ever seen.  Except my voice on the video.  Please ignore it - it is so annoying.  Ick!  Does everyone feel that way about hearing their own voice?!

Greek Pasta Salad

This summer I've really been into prepared salads.  I made them at the beginning of the week and keep them in the fridge so I have something easy for lunch that is a little better than a PBJ.  I copied this salad from mt local favorite, Verrill Farm. I had it for lunch one day then immediately bought all of the supplies (there) to make it for myself.

Greek Pasta Salad

1/2 pound of penne pasta, cooked and rinsed
1 cucumber, peeled sliced
3 medium tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup of red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup of kalamata olives, chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley
4 ounces of crumbled feta
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of dried italian seasoning
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

Combine cooked pasta, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, olives, parsley and feta in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar and seasonings.  Pour over pasta and vegetables, toss.