Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

And rainbow sprinkles, because that just ups the party factor.

We had a few friends over this weekend to eat, drink, play bocce and meet Colin. I figured cupcakes would be a good way to cap off the day. Our lovely friends also brought delicious desserts, and gave us the leftovers, so I've been doing my best not to eat more than two a day. Because two desserts a day is reasonable, and six is not. Spoonfuls of leftover frosting from the fridge do not count towards this limit, in case you were wondering.

I used these recipes from Brown Eyed Baker. They came out perfectly! Plus, I finally made halfway decent looking frosting swirls. The key was to use a real piping bag and not cheap out and try to use a ziploc. Too many ziplocs have exploded frosting on me. No more.

Vanilla Cupcakes
Yield: 12 regular sized cupcakes

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tin with paper liners.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
In a standing mixer, combine butter, sour cream, egg and egg yolks, and vanilla.
Add in the flour mixture and beat until smooth.
Using an ice cream scoop or measuring cup, divide batter evenly among cups.
Bake until cupcakes are pale gold and spring back when lightly pressed, about 20-24 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack to room temperature.
I like to bake cupcakes the day before serving to be sure they are completely cool, and also save some time on party day.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes.
Reduce speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar. Once all the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase speed to medium-high, add the vanilla and whip until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
It was hot and humid when I made this, so my butter was super soft. I put the frosting in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to firm up a bit before piping, so it wouldn't melt everywhere.
Leftovers keep in the fridge. Bring to room temperature and whip to use, or eat with a spoon.

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