Vanilla Cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Frosting

These vanilla cupcakes with milk chocolate frosting are the perfect birthday (or everyday) treat. They are simple, classic and delicious! 

This April weather has seriously got me down. We had a huge ice storm here this weekend. If you looked outside you would have sworn it was January and not almost May! We were stuck inside all day on Sunday, since the car was completely frozen over. I made a huge pot of tomato sauce for dinner and decided that we needed something classic and comforting for dessert.  The vanilla cupcakes are delicious and moist. They have a great crumb and nice bite to them. The real star here however, is this whipped milk chocolate frosting. It is light, fluffy and oh so delicious.  The frosting on its own reminds me of a big glass of chocolate milk. The sweetness of the milk chocolate makes the frosting lighter than your traditional chocolate frosting made with either cocoa powder or semi sweet chocolate. 

I decided to keep the cupcakes fairly casual. I didn't use my usual cupcake decorating technique but instead I used an off set spatula to quickly frost these cupcakes. I couldn't wait to dig into them and I love the more relaxed look this frosting technique gives. There is something nostalgic about it. Of course I had to add sprinkles! They brightened up the cupcakes (and the grey weather that we have been having). 

Vanilla Cupcakes With Milk Chocolate Frosting

Makes: 1 Dozen

For the Cupcakes 

½ c butter, at room temp

1 c sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 ½  tsp baking powder

1 ½ c flour

½ tsp salt

½ c milk

For the Frosting

1 c butter, at room temp

3 c powdered sugar

100 g milk chocolate, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, over medium speed cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one a time, scraping down the side of the bowl after each addition. Mix until just incorporated. Add in the vanilla. 

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. On a low speed, add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Add the milk, followed by the remaining flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Do not over mix. 

Fill cupcake liners 1/2 to 2/3s of the way full. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to wire rack to cool completely. 

For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, over medium-high speed cream together butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.  Switch to a whisk attachment, over medium speed, mix in melted chocolate. Whisk on medium - high speed for an additional 2-3 minutes or until frosting is light and fluffy.  Once cupcakes are fully cooled, frost as desired.

Classic Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

A delicious moist cupcake topped with fluffy buttercream makes this vanilla cupcake an instant classic! 

I will be the first to admit when given the choice I will almost always pick chocolate over vanilla. However, while not it might not be the most decadent of desserts there is definitely something comforting and nostalgic about a classic vanilla cupcake. As a baker, a good vanilla cupcake recipe is a must. This particular recipe uses the classic method of creaming together your butter and sugar to add a light airy-ness to the cake. Additionally, I've used cake flour which also helps to produce a lighter cake. Like with any recipe using high quality ingredients makes a big difference in the final outcome and the overall flavour of your cupcake. The quality of the vanilla extract that you use will determine the overall flavour of the cake. I like to use a pure vanilla extract when making these cupcakes. 

Classic Vanilla Cupcakes

Yield: 1 dozen cupcakes                  Bake Time: 15-18 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c cake flour*

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c butter, at room temperature

1 c sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 c milk

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners

In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt, set aside

In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, on medium speed, beat together butter and sugar until light, fluffy and pale in colour

Beat eggs into butter mixture one at a time, scrapping down sides of the bowl between each addition. Beat in vanilla.

On low speed, mix in half the flour mixture into the butter mixture, until just incorporated

Slowly beat the milk into the mixture. Finally beat in the rest of the flour mixture until just incorporated

Fill cupcake liners until they are about 2/3s full.

Bake cupcakes in the centre of oven for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean

*If you don't have cake flour handy - it is really simple to make using All Purpose (AP) Flour and cornstarch. For every 1 cup of Cake Flour needed: measure out 1 cup of AP flour minus 2 tablespoons and replace the 2 tablespoons with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.  Be sure to sift to combine. 

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe

The vanilla cupcake is elegantly topped with a swirl of fluffy vanilla buttercream and a medley of sprinkles. I used Wilton's Pink Icing Gel Colours to dye my vanilla buttercream and achieve this soft pink pastel. Start with a small amount of gel colouring and gradually add more until you reach your desired colour - just remember the colours tend to darken a bit over time. Check out this video to learn how I create my signature frosting swirl when frosting cupcakes.

Share your vanilla cupcakes with me in the comments or on Instagram with #ByJaclyn