Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting

Two weeks ago, I was honored to host a baby shower for my sister-in-law and knowing her elegant style, I knew I wanted an beautiful looking, yet heavenly tasting cupcake recipe. I recently purchased Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book and although there are many recipes in there that I am dying to try... I wanted simplicity and wasn't getting that from the book. (Although the pineapple flowers did come from there!) I decided to hit the Internet and underground blogging world and was pleased to come across this wonderful flavor-packed vanilla bean cupcake with a wonderful light and fluffy vanilla frosting. Simple, yet wonderful. I took them one step further and added a dried pineapple flowers to make them extra elegant. They were absolutely beautiful in addition to tasting wonderful! 

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Makes: 12 Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
1 stick unsalted butter; room temperature
½ cup sour cream
1 large egg; room temperature
2 large egg yolks; room temperature
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add butter, sour cream, egg and egg yolks, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.

Divide batter evenly among cups of prepared tin. Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from tin and transfer to wire rack; cool cupcakes to room temperature before frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Makes: Enough to frost 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice.

Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.

(From left to right) Mom, Leah, Me, Anna, Emma, Tammy, and Pat at Anna's Baby Shower, January 2012

Happy Baking!

-The Little Bitchin Kitchen

Sources:

Cupcakes (Originally from Cook’s Illustrated) and Frosting were seen and duplicated from the  Brown Eyed Baker 

Pineapple flowers: Inspired by Annie's Eats, originally from Martha Stewart