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Vanilla Cupcakes:
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (175 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large (100 grams) eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon (4 grams) pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (180 grams) cake flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons (6 grams) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) salt
1/2 cup (120 ml/grams) milk, at room temperature (whole (full fat) or 2% reduced fat)
Confectioners Frosting:
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon (4 grams) pure vanilla extract
2 cups (230 grams) confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar), sifted
1-2 tablespoons milk or light cream (half and half)
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Vanilla Cupcakes: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and line 36 mini muffin cups with paper liners.
In the bowl of your electric stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a separate bowl sift or whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt.
With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions), beginning and ending with the flour.
Fill the muffin cups with 2 tablespoons of batter (about 3/4 full) and bake for about 10 - 12 minutes or just until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. (Always check a few minutes before the stated baking time. Do not over bake or the cupcakes will be dry.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting: In the bowl of your electric stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and the sugar and beat on low speed until incorporated. Then beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add a little cream (or milk) if needed so the frosting is at piping consistency. If you like you can tint the frosting with food coloring. Fill a piping bag with the frosting, fitted with a decorative tip (I used an Ateco #825), and frost the cupcakes. These cupcakes are best the day they are made, but they can be covered and stored for a couple of days. Or they can be frozen.
Makes 33 - 36 Mini Vanilla Cupcakes.
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Sometimes I like to make cupcakes in miniature. I find they are the perfect size for parties or when you are serving a variety of desserts. These Mini Vanilla Cupcakes are wonderfully sweet and buttery and are frosted with a swirl of creamy smooth Confectioners Frosting. And the kids will love it if you dust the tops with candy sprinkles or chocolate jimmies.
The important thing when making miniature cupcakes is not to over bake them as you want them to be soft, fluffy, and moist. Over baking causes them to be hard and dry tasting. So bake them only until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Always check to see if they are done a few minutes before the end of the stated baking time as everyone's oven works a little differently. And always cool your cupcakes completely before frosting.
For these Vanilla Cupcakes we are using a Confectioners Frosting (Buttercream Frosting) which is made with confectioners sugar (also known as icing or powdered sugar) along with butter, vanilla extract, and cream (milk). It is easy to make and has a wonderfully light and fluffy texture with a sweet and buttery flavor. While I did not color the frosting, you can if you like. Now, you could just cover the cupcakes with a thin layer of frosting using a knife or offset spatula, which is perfect for the kids. But when you want something fancier, bring out the piping bag fitted with a plain or decorative tip.