Vanilla cupcakes… sounds easy right? They have been making the rounds at birthday parties and swanky bakeries for years. So finding the perfect recipe should be like finding a needle in a pin cushion. But alas I have not done so well.
First I tried the infamous Magnolia Bakery’s version. Located in New York, it’s one of those sweet shops that have lines wrapping around the corner and have to place a limits on orders. I was sure their recipe, found in Magnolia Bakery Cookbook would be an instant success.
I’m not sure where I went wrong. I followed the recipe (which as some of you know about kills me) but the result was not good. In fact it was terrible, hence no photo. They were buttery, too buttery and heavy. The frosting was gritty and limp no matter how much I whipped it. They left both Matt and I with a tummy ache, and that is NOT something you want when baking for a wedding!
Needless to say I was let down with this recipe but I forged ahead. How could I not master something so basic? My next attempt came via the SimplyRecipes site. I remembered seeing a recipes for Double Vanilla cupcakes a few months ago and I happened to have some vanilla beans stashed in the cupboard to I gave them a shot the other night.
These too came out dense and lacking in flavor, even with double vanilla. Now it has been cold here and I never felt that my butter and sugar achieved the coveted etherial state which may account for the heaviness. But I am starting to think that maybe this is how people like their cupcakes? I my mind vanilla cupcakes should be light and airy, no? The frosting was good, it reminded me of Bryers ice-cream, the kind where you can actually see the specks of vanilla bean, but it wasn’t anything spectacular.
Why is finding a good recipe so hard? If anyone has a go to, never fail vanilla cupcake recipe out there and is willing to share I would love to try it!