Vanilla cupcakes with salted caramel icing
Some people say cupcakes go straight to the hips. I say they’ll take you straight to heaven.
They’re also great gifts for your friends, hosts, or guests. According to Alex, they’re also great for breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner, and dessert, and can easily be eaten in secret.
This recipe is the result of a few changes I made to two separate recipes I found in an old European book. I’m telling you: they’ll be a hit!
Particularities
- ServesYields 24 cupcakes
- Prep time20 min
- Cook time25 min
- Timeout-
- FreezingFreezes well
Ingredients
- 1 cup semi-salted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
For the icing
- 3/4 cup semi-salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups icing sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Steps
For the cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 340˚F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and baking soda over a mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In another bowl, combine the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer bowl, beat the butter until light and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat for 3 more minutes or until foamy.
- Add the eggs one at a time and scrape the edges of the bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the buttermilk (start and finish with the dry ingredients).
- Fill the muffin cups and bake for 22–25 minutes.
For the icing
- Beat the butter until light and creamy. Add the icing sugar and brown sugar and beat for 2–3 more minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients and beat for 3–4 more minutes, or until texture is creamy.
- Using an icing knife or a pastry bag, ice the cooled cupcakes.
Tips & tricks
I always take my cupcakes out of the oven one or two minutes before they’re done, since they’ll continue to cook a bit when you leave them to cool in the hot pan.
To make icing them easier, I refrigerate them for a few minutes so they aren’t so soft.
I keep my cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge, or 2 days at room temperature.
