Yellow Cupcakes with Vanilla French Buttercream

All the Kidlet wanted to do yesterday was watch TV and play video games. She did stop to do her chess homework and I suggested that some of the video game time be spent on Khan Academy, so it wasn't all brain-melting, but still... Not really the best way to spend the day.

Yesterday was swimming lessons as well, so that got us out of the house for a bit. And we stopped at the craft store on the way home to pick out some new beads. After that I was casting around for fun things to do that didn't involve a screen. I suggested colouring, painting, macaroni art, collages, board games, and baking. And the promise of fresh baked goods did pique her interest. Initially she wanted to bake cookies, but the only recipe she would consider used a boxed cake mix and made these weird sort of cake-cookies. I suggested that maybe if she wanted something cake-like we should just make a cake or cupcakes. She was keen on the cupcakes.

There is a simple vanilla cupcake recipe in the "Young Chefs" cookbook I got her. But we've made that one before and I really wanted to try something different. We flipped through every cupcake recipe in The Perfect Cake and, after looking at each of them, she decided that she wanted to make the yellow cupcakes. So, yup, after all that we just ended up making plain vanilla cupcakes after all. Oh well. At least these were different vanilla cupcakes.

Yellow Cupcakes

From the Perfect Cake by America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 3 c. icing of choice (I used a Vanilla French Buttercream)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and line muffin tin with paper/foil liners.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix well.
3. Add butter, sour cream, egg, egg yolks, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for ~1 minute.
4. Scrape down bowl and give a final stir by hand, making sure there are no residual flour pockets.
5. Scoop into prepared muffin tin. (Should exactly fill a dozen 5cm (2") wells.)
6. Bake at 180°C (350&de;F) for ~20 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and cool in tin for 15 minutes, then turn out and finish cooling on wire rack.
8. Wait until cupcakes are completely cool before icing.