Cupcake #12: New York Vanilla

Well, this is the final cupcake and wraps up the summer project of baking a new cupcake each week! This is a simple vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting. It isn't simple in flavor though! It is sweet and tasty and shows how great a cupcake can be even though it may sound plain :) I also topped it with white sprinkles and threw in a little blue (in case I serve them at my baby shower this weekend!)

Ingredients for the cupcake: ~1 c. unsalted butter, room temp. ~1 c. heavy cream ~4 eggs, room temp. and separated into whites and yolks ~1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract ~1/2 tsp. pure almond extract ~2 c. sugar ~1/4 tsp. cream of tartar ~3 c. cake flour ~1/2 tsp. salt ~2 1/2 tsp. baking powder ~2 Tbsp. potato starch To Make the Cupcakes: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place ~20 paper liners in cupcake trays. 2. Cream butter and sugar together in electric mixer until fluffy; about 3-5 minutes. Add extracts. Beat 1 minute.

3. Add egg yolks to batter and beat another 2 minutes. 4. Whisk flour, potato starch, baking powder and salt. Add to batter.

5. Whip cream in cold bowl until soft peaks form, fold into batter. 6. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites with cream of tartar until bubbles appear, about 1-2 mins. It's better to underwhip than overwhip, because that will make the cake more moist. 7. Fold the egg whites into the batter.

8. Pour the batter into cupcake liners. Fill to the top (if desired) 9. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean.

10. Cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to baking racks. Ingredients for Vanilla Buttercream: ~1 c. unsalted butter, softened ~2 1/2 c. powdered sugar ~2 tsp. vanilla extract To Make the Frosting: 1. Cream the butter with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3-5 mins.

2. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth.

3. Frost cooled cupcakes, either with a frosting spatula or by piping frosting onto cupcakes.

Cupcake #11: Taking a Bite Out of Frustration Spice Cupcakes

Well, the cupcake project is almost over! One more week of fun cupcakes and then I'll move on to other treats :) This one is a spice cupcake--reminds me of fall, which is just around the corner :) These cupcakes turned out so pretty!

Ingredients for the cupcake: -1 egg, room temp. -1/2 c. butter, room temp. -1 c. sour milk (add 1 Tbsp. lemon juice to milk and let sit 15 mins.) -1 c. brown sugar -2 c. flour -1 tsp. baking soda -1/2 tsp. salt -2 Tbsp. potato starch -1 tsp. cinnamon -1 tsp. nutmeg -1 tsp. cloves To Make the Cupcakes: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place ~12 paper liners into cupcake trays. 2. Cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.

3. Add egg and beat another 2 minutes. Add sour milk and beat until smooth. 4. Whisk flour, potato starch, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves together. Add flour mixture to batter. Mix until combined.

5. Pour batter into paper liners. Fill to the top and bake 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 6. Cool for 5 minutes and then place on baking rack.

Ingredients for Sugar Glaze/Frosting: -2 c. powdered sugar -2 to 4 Tbsp. orange juice -2 Tbsp. butter, room temp. -splash of vanilla extract (optional) To Make the Frosting: 1. Pour powdered sugar into a bowl. 2. Gradually add orange juice until the glaze reachers a pourable, but not too thin consistency.

(Add vanilla also, if you'd like) 3. Cream butter into glaze and then frost the cooled cupcakes. (I added a sprinkle of cinnamon on top after they were frosted for decoration!)

Cupcake #10: Pining for the Forbidden Pineapple Cupcakes

Pineapple?? Yes! So yummy and refreshing--a great summer cupcake!

Ingredients: -6 Tbsp. unsalted buter, room temp. -2 eggs, room temp. -1/2 tsp. vanilla -1 tsp. pineapple extract (I used pineapple juice) -1/2 c. heavy cream -3/4 c. sugar -1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour -1/2 tsp. baking powder -1/2 tsp. baking soda -1/2 tsp. salt -1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple To Make the Cupcakes: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place 12 paper liners in cupcake tray. 2. Cream butter and sugar together in an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3-5 mins.

3. Add eggs and beat another 2 minutes.

4. Add vanilla and pineapple extract. 5. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to batter.

6. Whip cream in cold bowl to soft peaks, fold in batter.

7. Drain pineapple. Make sure to remove as much liquid as possible. Gently fold the pineapple into batter.

8. Pour into paper liners. Fill 3/4 of the way to the top.

9. Bake 15-20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and then place on baking rack. Frosting: -1 c. sifted powdered sugar -2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temp. -2 Tbsp. milk -1/2 tsp. vanilla -pinch of salt To Make the Frosting: 1. Cream the powdered sugar and butter together in an electric mixer until smooth, about 3-5 minutes. 2. Add milk, vanilla and salt.

Beat until smooth. If frosting is thin, let it sit for a few minutes--it will thicken. If too thick, add more milk.

3. Frost cooled cupcakes & decorate, if you'd like!