Happy National Vanilla Cupcake Day! I’m sorry that I’m sending you these wishes at the end of the day, but I couldn’t go without celebrating this holiday with you, but as usual, this is a late-night write. With such a holiday to celebrate, how could I possibly wake up and not bake a batch of classic pink vanilla bakery-style cupcakes? I couldn’t, so I did. But before we talk vanilla love, let’s talk about…chocolate! As you probably recall, last week I posted a super-chocolaty Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart, and along with that post and recipe came a giveaway for a seriously chocolaty (yes, that looks wrong to me too, but I googled it and “chocolaty” is indeed legit…who knew?) bunch of goodies.
Here are the winners for the Seriously Chocolaty Giveaway:
Prize #1: Goes to Renee: “Oh My Goodness! I would have to say Chocolate Ganache is my absolute favourite! Use it on any kind of dessert to elevate it, but really, the BEST part, is the left over bit in the bowl in the fridge. Sneak a swipe at every entry! Grab some grapes or banana pieces and dip those too! And, all too often I see little tiny kiddie swipes in there too :)…”
Yay for Renee! She wins 2 spots in the November 24th & 25th (6:30pm-9:30pm) Holiday Truffles & Bonbons class at the highly-respected Bonnie Gordon College of Confectionary Arts in Toronto + 1 kg box of Cacao Barry Origins Dark Chocolate Couverture Mexique 66% + 1 kg box of St. Domingue 70% + a copy of Barry Callebaut’s Simply Chocolate Magazine, featuring recipes from Canada’s top pastry chefs & chocolatiers. This prize values over $450!
Prize #2: Goes to Truc: “My favorite chocolate treat is probably a brownie. Thanks for the giveaway!”
Truc wins a 1 kg box of Cacao Barry Origins Dark Chocolate Couverture Venezuela (72%) + 1 kg box of Tanzanie (75%)
Prize #3: Goes to Karissa Ferguson: ”I love truffles. My mom made my husband and me some last Valentines and we were crazy about them! I think it’s time I try them myself and would love to with these delicious chocolates :)”
Karissa wins 1 kg box of Cacao Barry Origins Dark Chocolate Couverture Equateur (76%) + 1 kg box Milk Chocolate Couverture Ghana (40.5%)
Congratulations sweet winners! I’ll be in touch with you all via email.
So we’ve got company today–a close friend (you may remember I chatted awhile back about how it was because of him my husband and I met) visiting from Grand Cayman, and I thought it would be a great time to celebrate National Vanilla Cupcake Day. I realized that as much as I make vanilla cake with vanilla frosting (of all kinds), that I don’t often make a classic bakery-style vanilla cupcake with sweet frosting and sprinkles. I know, it’s really inexcusable, considering. So this morning I woke up and made a batch of the Magnolia Bakery vanilla cupcakes. If you’re not familiar with the Magnolia Bakery, it’s a charming bakery in New York City that has been celebrated for its from-scratch baked goods, most notably the pink vanilla cupakes and the like. I first learned of the bakery while watching Sex in the City, but I’m sad to report that I’ve never actually set foot inside the bakery or tried any of their treats.
As you may believe, I love cupcakes, and I have made many, but I hadn’t ever baked or tried their version, so today seemed like a good time to give that a whirl. The cupcake portion of their recipe is a very classic butter cake technique and you won’t find anything too unexpected in the ingredient list, but the result is pleasingly vanilla and perfectly classic. After much blog discussion about vanilla cake, following the Fluffy White Vanilla Cake post (a post about my epic journey to discover a pure white, fluffy, cake-mix-like scratch cake), I have received dozens of emails asking me if that batter would be suitable for the ultimate cupcake. Truthfully, I find that batter amazing and ideal for fluffy cake layers, but with only egg whites, I find it doesn’t make the ideal cupcakes. That’s just for my taste, though, but I love a sweet, sturdy and “eggy” cupcake (sorry if that sounds odd, but it’s the only way I can describe that taste). This recipe calls for, among other things, 4 whole eggs, a generous amount of white sugar and a combination of self-rising and all-purpose (plain) flour, which to me is a great combination for the classic cupcake.
If you read my previous post about my Ruffles & Roses tea party, you may remember the Fairy Cakes. For those I used another vanilla cupcake recipe from another popular New York City bakery, Billy’s Bakery, that has a very similar ingredient list, but uses a combination of cake flour and self-rising flour. That recipe, however, uses the reverse creaming method, just as my Fluffy Vanilla Cake does, and the result is very similar to the Magnolia Bakery version. To me, they are both wonderful and consistent options for the perfect vanilla cupcake and I think the biggest difference is the “cake flour” taste–some love it, and some prefer a less distinct flavour that all-purpose flour seems to lend.
For the frosting, I opted to sort of combine my favourite whipped vanilla frosting with the sugary-sweet Magnolia buttercream, by increasing the icing sugar, but keeping it a bit less than what they call for. I have to admit that making these pink sprinkled vanilla cupcakes, made me happier than even I could have guessed.
If you’d like to keep up with the seemingly endless ‘National Dessert Days,” just for fun, my friends over at Best Friends for Frosting have a fabulous post including the Complete Directory List of National Dessert Days, and, trust me, I refer to it often!
Speaking of pink sprinkles, I’m not sure my life will be complete if I don’t soon order this. Why do sprinkles make us so silly happy?
Ah, yes, sprinkles…I have too much to say about them. No, really, I do, but, oh friends, it’s the middle of the night here in my world, and I think I must go to sleep! I don’t say that often, but tonight, I must. I will be back very soon to talk about all sorts of life-altering topics: flour, buttercream, frosting cakes, chocolate, pink…zzzz.
Off I go to dream about cakes and rainbows. Or more sleep.
Here’s the recipe:
Bakery-Style Vanilla Cupcakes {click to print}
For the cupcakes:
Source: Magnolia’s Vanilla Cupcakes from Food Network
Yield: 24 standard cupcakes
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (190 grams/6.5 ounces) self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups (160 grams/5.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks/227 grams/8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups (400 grams/14 ounces) white sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (250 mL) milk
1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract–I use Nielsen-Massey Vanillas 8-oz. Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 standard muffin tins with cupcake liners of your choice (24 total).
2. In a small bowl, combine the flours and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.
5. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners (I use this scoop Norpro Stainless Steel Scoop, 50mm (3-Tablespoon)
6. Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
For the frosting:
Bakery-Style Vanilla Frosting
Ingredients
3 sticks (340 grams/12 ounces) unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
5 cups (625 grams/22 ounces) confectioners’ sugar (icing, powdered)
2 tablespoons (30 mL) milk
2 teaspoons (10 mL) pure vanilla extract — I use Nielsen-Massey Vanillas 8-oz. Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
pinch of salt
Method
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter for 5 minutes on medium speed (I use “4″ on my KitchenAid). Butter will become very pale & creamy.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix on low speed for 1 minute, then on medium speed for 5 minutes. Frosting will be very light, creamy, and fluffy.
3. Add touch of gel food colour, if desired and mix until blended.
4. Best used right away.
Sweetapolita’s Notes:
1. To keep frosting smooth and creamy (and not filled with air-bubbles), work it often in the bowl with a rubber spatula, in a pressing & smearing movement to remove air bubbles.
2. To decorate these cupcakes, I used a few drops of Americolor Electric Pink Soft Gel Paste
3. I try to avoid keeping cupcakes in an airtight container, as that seems to cause some of the liners to separate from the cupcakes. Cake boxes with the flaps closed seems to work well.
Good luck & enjoy!
they look delightful! just the receipe I was looking for to treat myself after finishing my uni assignment! I shall make and devour these tomorrow!!! thanks!
A very fitting way to celebrate National Vanilla Cupcake Day! Sometimes you just can’t beat a simple vanilla cupcake.
Beautiful!! Shall I devour these now???… jajaja…
http://www.mipatisserie.blogspot.com
I love your blog, i’ve been reading for a while now and I’m still amazed by your style and your work !
Thanks a lot for putting your recipe in grams, it’s quite hard to put everything in grams by myself.
Regards from France thank you for being such a great blogger, photographer and of course baker :)
They are so cute and perfect, I let out a tiny squeal when I saw them! :)
Gorgeous as usual! I wish I had a dozen in my kitchen right now.
Most gorgeous pictures ever!
Rosie your photographs and their content always brightens my day! Those cupcakes are lovely.
Absolutely gorgeous!
These are cupcake perfection. Seriously–if you look up “cupcake” in the dictionary, these photos would be next to it! Definitely trying this recipe :)
Hi, These cupcakes seem great, but I have a little problem. where I live they do not sell self rising flour, is there anything that I can substitute it with? Thx
Congrats to the winners!
Silly question, the amounts seem a tiny bit higher than some of the other recipes I usually see. How many cupcakes were you about to get out of this batch? (Forgive me if you wrote it somewhere, I looked but didn’t notice if you put that somewhere. Thanks!
Sorry, Kelli, it’s 24 standard cupcakes. Enjoy!
Thank you for sharing
I make this recipe today and I had a little problem.
The cupcake was seperade from the cup but at the bottom center.
U can see it only if you look downunder the cupcake.
Did u know what I did wrong..???
The recipe above of this was amazing..
Thanks Nick
Hi Nick,
Hmm…I’m not really sure what happened with your cupcakes? Is it possible that the cupcakes were under-baked? I’ve not heard of that happening before, so I’m not 100% certain; I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help!
Thank you
…what do you mean by saing under baked?? Also is there a possibility to be baking cups problem?? :))
thanks in advance!
Nick, it’s definitely possible that your baking liners/cups are causing some kind of separation, but I’m really not certain. I’m wondering if your cupcakes were not baked enough, leaving the center gooey, and separate from underneath. Sorry I really can’t say for certain!
Gorgeous photos!! I will have to try making these today…yum!
Thanks, Ana–I hope you love them!
These are so beautiful, like everything that you do! That’s my recipe for this weekend.(;
Thanks, Alba!
I love Magnolia Bakery. We just got one here in Chicago (lucky me) and it’s only a few block away from my work (even luckier me). Their frosting is amazing.
I love the look of these — especially the way you frosted and decorated them. Just beautifl.
Thanks so much, and yes, lucky you! I didn’t realize they were branching out of NYC. I suppose that was just a matter of time!
I don’t know if I should admit this, but I’ve been to Magnolia, and didn’t really like their cupcakes. But I have heard raves about this at-home version, so I think I need to try them out! Your cupcakes are just gorgeous, like always! :)
Thanks, Deborah! I’m curious how these would compare the bakery cupcakes in-shop. I think a trip to NYC is in order! :)
HUGE cupcake craving now, thanks Rosie! These look incredible.
i am definitely making these this weekend
Rosie, where do you get your cupcake liners and butter?
rosie, these are perfect! seriously, the most beautiful, perfect little cupcakes! you made me realize that i need to make a plain bakery-style pink vanilla cupcake soon :D also, your pictures are gorgeous! love love love!!!
Congrats to the winners! These are some seriously cute cupcakes. I get hungry every time I stop by.
These are freaking beautiful!
Thanks, Katrina! xo
Mmmmm these look so delicious. I love all the pink!
Love the pink and sprinkles!
These are just too cute. Lovely!
Also, congrats to the winners!
I love your posts…they make me happy, just like pink cupcakes and sprinkles :) Thanks again for sharing! Happy Weekend!
This is amazing…I spent the entire day working on a vanilla-vanilla cupcake recipe! Great minds. xxoo
Oh my goodness! These cupcakes look perfect – if it wasn’t 8AM I would bake them (and then eat them!) right now.
What beautiful cupcakes! I’m sure your guest was thrilled to me treated with some of these.
These look lovely! And to tell you the truth they are probably better than the ones in the shop (gasp, I know) … of NYC cupcakes Magnolia has the longest line but Crumbs is so much tastier!
Thank you! I love the look of the Crumbs cupcakes–yum! I’d love to visit there as well, and I think a trip to NYC is soon in order. :)
These are so sweet and delicate, with a fun topping of sprinkles. Beautiful!
so pretty!
I knew before even clicking that these were based on the Magnolia recipe! You did a great job decorating them, too.
Love this! They look absolutely delicious, and I love how you decorated them! So beautiful. Can’t wait to try them.
I’ve never been to the original Magnolia bakery in New York City, but they have a branch out here in LA. Their cupcakes are absolutely delicious–far better than all the other cupcake places that have sprouted up all over southern California! Anyway, I love how you decorated them! The sprinkles make them much cuter and playful.
I don’t know how you take a simple cupcake and make it look so beautiful, but you do. You’re kind of amazing. :)
these look gorgeous. Magnolia cupcakes are yummy… and your pictures are gorgeous!
They are so pretty. I love that “bakery pink” frosting :) gorgeous photos!
Oh my gosh! How do you make everything look so mouthwatering and amazing all the time? Beautiful photos. I have always wanted to try this recipe, but I never have self rising flour on hand.
I just made these cupcakes, they are delicious! They have a lovely texture and a fairly flat top – great for decorating. I thought they were a little greasy though (the bottoms of mine turned out greasy).
So glad you like them, Claire. I wonder why they were greasy. This has occured for me with some other vanilla cupcake recipes, but this one actually wasn’t, which is what I like about it. I wish I could help in some way!
Sometimes simple vanilla is the best thing in the world. I was so excited when a Magnolia’s opened near me last year, and I could finally taste one!
Thanks, Sylvie! I didn’t realize that Magnolia’s were opening up all over the US, seemingly. I wonder if we’ll ever get one in Toronto. We do have a few cupcakeries, but it would be fun to try one of their cupcakes! :)
You’ve really got me onto the tall layered cakes! Did a four layer choc-orange one yesterday, but I can see an eight-layer in my future (asparagus optional!). Thanks for the inspiration – didn’t even know what a crumb coat was for before reading this blog, but now I can’t remember how I iced a cake without it! x ember
So glad to hear that, Ember! What a wonderful comment–thank you!
I love Magnolia. Hubs and I lived in NYC for 2 years, a few years ago. Sometimes I very much miss it…it’s amazing…and sometimes, I’m relieved to be somewhere smaller and quieter. Yet, we always talk about going back. Maybe it’s for the cupcakes. ;)
I love your styling. You have a gift for making the simplest recipes look beautiful and delectable! I want to be where those cupcakes are!
Thank so much, Darla. I didn’t realize you lived in NYC–that’s pretty great! We actually lived in NJ in 2005-2006 for a year, and I made frequent trips to NYC. Loved it! Thank you for the sweet words about my photos :)
Hi Rosie. I love the blog and have a collection of recipe print outs that I’m dying to try! The pictures are beautiful too.
Love,
Leah (England)
I can do this!!!!
I’ve been to Magnolia Bakery in NYC. Honestly, their cakes are nothing more than recipes our grandmothers used to make. Any maybe that’s the allure of it to New Yorkers who maybe didn’t experience these homemade goodies during their childhood? I dunno. I’m sure the movie making reference to Magnolia helped a lot too.
BTW – I suspect Magnolia uses shortening in their icing. Something about the taste.
Hi
Are these cakes dense? I had tried a million from scratch recipes with no success. They all turn out dense. I am trying to find a fluffy layer cake just like the kind you get from cake mixes. I don’t like to use cake mixes though-man, the ingredient list in a cake mix is scary.
so can anyone who had tried this please let me know whether this is a dense cake or a fluffy cake. that will save my family of eating another dense cake-they are not interested in it anymore.
thanks in advance
The frosting looks divine!!!! :D
I just made a batch of these cupcakes for my colleagues farewell and they were amazing!!! Its incredible how real vanilla makes such a big difference! Im never going back to the imitation ones! Anyway, thank you for sharing the cupcake awesomeness!!!
have u used the subsititution method for self rising flour . what is the exact ratio for the flour to baking powder. will it effect the result of the cake if i dont use the store bought self rising flour ?
thanx
Oh do these little cuties put a smile on my face…but then again, I never leave your site without one.
Wow, I really need to make these! Yum-yum-yummy! They look so adorable :) And a big thank you for the blog text + sidebar mention, Rosie. You truly made me smile from one ear to another. Sending pastel hugs your way xx!
These are beautiful!!!
These are so unbelievably adorable! I love how they have a slightly whimsical feel to them. Surely put a smile on my face.
Thanks so much for the mention Sweetapolita! I have tried this Vanilla Cupcake recipe from The Official Magnolia Bakery and can vouch they are one of my favorites!
They look totally adorable, I love the pink frosting and sprinkles.
I know what you mean about the sprinkles…these cupcakes look so ridiculously cute with those stop the frosting! I’m sure they’re delicious, too!
Oops…I meant “ATOP the frosting”!
Rosie, I have never heard of Billy’s Bakery in NYC. These beauties remind me of Magnolia Bakery though. Pinning now :)
Rosie where do you buy your cupcake liners and butter?
Absolute YUM!!!! Nothing beats a classic xoxo
I’ve just baked these! Made them all christmassy though… And I needed a bit more of icing sugar for the frosting to get it how I wanted it, but still so yummi :)
My cupcakes were very good but had a pretty strong eggy-taste. What would I do to get rid of that strong taste? Pretty obvious to maybe get rid of one egg but I don’t know what else I’d have to reduce or if it will change the measurements.
Someone also mentioned up there that their cupcakes separated from the bottom of the liner. Mine did too, I’m almost wondering if it has to do with the flour (I didn’t use self rising flour) or amount of butter that’s in these cupcakes. I don’t really care that mine separated from the bottom, it’s not really noticeable and the taste is great anyways.
Just made these and my whole family is RAVING about them! So impressed with this recipe! The texture is amazing. Extremely light and fluffy.
This was my first attempt at making any type of cake from scratch, and I knew immediately upon deciding to do so that I would use a sweetapolita-approved recipe. After tasting them, I’ve decided never to use a boxed mix again if I can help it! They came out wonderfully fluffy and light, vanilla-y, and without the odd preservative aftertaste that cake mixes usually have. Thank you so much for your wonderful, inspiring site – it never fails to bring such joy to my week!
These cupcakes were definitely delicious, LOVED the flavor, however mine was very dense. I guess I prefer a fluffier cupcake! THanks for the recipe :)
Hi! I was wondering what time I should adjust this to if I wanted to make it in a cake pan? Hoping to make an awesome cake for my nephews party and using fondant for the first time. Wish me luck!
I found this recipe this morning on my little Pinterest rave and was quite eager to try them. They taste divine, very bakery style! However I’m not much one for liners and cooked them in a muffin tray, of which they quite rudely refused to come out in one piece… Not to worry, the fiance had me scoop them out into a bowl so he could have them with ice cream later! Am quite eager to give it another go, maybe tomorrow, with liners…
Also, I am Australian and have never tasted a “Magnolia Bakery” cupcake, but in comparison to my local bakery, these really are beautiful!
I love your DELICIOUS site! I tried out these cupcakes this weekend as my first attempt at from-scratch cupcakes.
If you would like to check them out, please visit my blog!
http://mamahenskitchen.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-first-experience-with-from-scratch.html
Thanks for the recipe! it was perfect :)
Hi,
I never baked before. I plan to try this recipe for a batch of 24 cupcakes and a giant Wilton cupcake. What. Would I change in the recipe to make a batch for the giant cupcake? Also, would this be good with your Swiss merangue buttercream icing and a strawberry cupcake filling. I don’t have a kitchen aid so I will be using a hand mixer. Will that be ok?
Thanks, this is for my daughter’s first birthday so I don’t want to mess it up!
Wanted to add that I am dying natural rock candy for the sprinkles.
i made this cupcake, i like the frosing, smooth and tasty, but the cake was normal, i like my cake to be tender and light, anyway thank you.
hi, the photos are amazing! im sure the cupcakes taste divine too! i was wondering how you put the frosting? i sooo love cupcakes iced this way but dont know how. please help!
I live three doors down from the Magnolia Bakery in the West Village (NYC). In fact, I worked there as a naive sixteen year old. While there, I did learn how to ice the perfect cupcake. And I also lived an entire summer on sugar alone. That being said, the bakery itself is overhyped. I find the lines that form around the corner to be tedious and annoying, and their baked goods to be…….. only just good. Some of your other recipes on this site outshine them by a mile!
Thanks so much, Jane!
Hi Rosie! I had the pleasure of making these cupcakes over the weekend for Easter lunch at my in-laws. What can I say? They tasted delicious and were a huge hit with all the guests =)
I put the pics of the finished product on my blog http://meetingmilena.blogspot.com/2012/04/cupcaked-out.html
Cant wait to try out some more of the recipes on your blog.
Thanks,
Milena
Oh these look so cute! I love pink colored desserts!
wow! I love those cupcakes!!
Wow. These are amazing!! The texture and lightness are amazing!!! This has now trumped all other cupcake recipes I have. Thankyou so very much :)
Hi Rosie,
Can I just say I’m so happy I have stumbled across your wonderful site! Your recipes look amazing and I can’t wait to whip these up for my brothers birthday and maybe even attempt the Swiss Meringue Buttercream for Mother’s Day!
I just love all your ideas and photos :)
Melanie – from Australia xo
This recipe is amazing. Both the cupcakes and icing are a hit. I could not stop myself from doing several quality taste tests. Can’t wait to try your other recipes!
Your blog is amazing, I aspire to give as many of your creations a go as I can. Just wondering if you would recommend freezing the frosting? Or if you have one that is suitable for freezing? I find I make so much and dont want to waste it!
Thanks :)
This looks FANTASTIC!
And it doesn’t sound too difficult, I would definitely try that!
Thank you for this great cute recipe!
First of all, I love everything about your site! It’s beautiful, inspiring and informative, so thank you!
I made these cupcakes yesterday, and they were delicious, but after they cooled they remained very sticky, and I can’t understand why, since I followed the recipe and I bake all the time, so it’s not new to me…
Do you have any idea why this could have happened? I thought that perhaps I put too much sugar, but as I said, I followed the recipe…
Would love to get your comments on this.
Thank you so much,
Annabelle.
This recipe has converted my mother. She loathes vanilla cake, but after trying the batter told me to, “forget college, go in to baking! You could bake for the president!” Haha. Thank you tons for the post- this is brilliant. :D
Perfection! Just made a whole batch and they look so cute. Even without a KitchenAid, your recipes always work for me and my little hand mixer. Love it!
x