A couple posts back, I expressed my concern that cupcakes — specifically the overpriced ones from bakeshops that specialize in cupcakes, not the ones at grocery stores — just don’t seem to be a thing like they used to be. When I decided to come here and voice my discontent with this unsettling phenomenon, there were several insights I wanted to bring to the fore. But then I got to writing. I thought I had a pretty good grasp on what I was going to say, about how many words it was going to take. Yet as the time to post neared, it was clear that that post had gotten away from me. It was just too much. There was more to say, but I had to leave it where it was. The rest is still unwritten…until today.
Don’t you just love the drama I’m bringing over overpriced cupcakes!
So without further ado, I bring you three pieces of the puzzle that I previously didn’t get to include: five of my all-time favorite cupcakes and where to get them, fun facts about cupcakes and drum roll please, the recipe for Magnolia Bakery’s famous vanilla cupcake aka the Carrie cupcake – the cupcake I believe started it all for the overpriced cupcake craze.
5 Must Try Cupcakes and Where to Get Them
While it’s impossible to list all the yummy cupcakes I’ve had over the years, much less recall them, I choose these five because they are some of the ones that stand out.
The Hummingbird Cupcake at Magnolia Bakery. When I first came across this cupcake at the original Magnolia Bakery in New York City’s West Village, I had never heard of it. I don’t know how that name is associated with the cake, but with a name like that I thought it must be good. So I took a chance and I was right. It was so good. It’s a pineapple, banana and pecan cake with cream cheese frosting. How could you go wrong with that. I don’t know if you can still get the cupcake at Magnolia Bakery, but you can get a slice of a whole cake, or a whole cake if you’d like.
The Strawberry Cupcake at Sprinkles. As I’ve stated before, I not a big fan of Sprinkles cupcakes, but the Strawberry one is definitely one they got right. It has such a strong, real strawberry taste, not an artificial flavoring taste, making this such a fun and delicious cupcake to eat.
The Red Velvet Cupcake at Billy’s. When I lived in New York, I went on a hunt for the best cupcakes I could find and that’s when I came across Billy’s in Chelsea. Their red velvet cupcake was a good size, it was moist, had that light cocoa flavor, tasty cream cheese frosting, and a beautiful color red. I have had this cupcake in almost 20 years, so who knows if it’s still like I remembered. But if you’re ever in the Chelsea area of New York, it may be worth it to drop in and find out.
The Vanilla2 Cupcake at Georgetown Cupcake. While most vanilla cupcakes have a vanilla buttercream frosting, this cupcake has a cream cheese frosting. It’s a small switch up that creates a nice flavor profile that should be done more often.
The Uncle Nearest Vanilla Cupcake at Susie Cakes. Ugh, I can’t say enough about this cupcake. So moist, so buttery, so vanilla-y, with a hint of whiskey, this cupcake leaves all other vanilla cupcakes in its dust. Perhaps the dusting of sugar crystals that they put on the top. It’s so good I wish it were available year around and not just February.
Did You Know A Cupcake Edition
December 15th is National Cupcake Day.
Amelia Simmons is known as the inventor of the cupcake in 1796 with a recipe called a light cake to bake in small cups” featured in her cookbook “American Cookery.”
Sprinkles is considered the world’s first cupcake bakery, opening in 2005.
Magnolia Bakery’s Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
While doing a little research on cupcakes, I came across this recipe on BusinessInsider.com and just had to share it. While it didn’t make the list as one of my favs and I started off not really liking it, it has grown on me over the years.
Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 egg whites
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
- 3-4 tablespoons whole milk
- Gel food coloring (pink)
- Daisy sugar decoration (optional)
Instructions
- Before you start making the cupcakes, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
- Then, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set it aside. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together your milk and sour cream until no lumps remain.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream your butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy (around three to five minutes). Scrape the sides, as well as the bottom of the bowl and the paddle.
- Turn your mixer to medium speed and slowly add the egg whites a little at a time, making sure they're incorporated before adding more. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides, bottom of the bowl, and paddle again.
- Then turn your mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk mixture and beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix everything for about 15 seconds, just until it's incorporated.
- Stop the mixer and remove the bowl. Scrape down the bowl and the paddle.
- Then, evenly scoop the batter into your prepared muffin cups (Lloyd recommends using a ¼ dry measuring cup). Bake your cupcakes for 20-22 minutes, until the tops spring back when touched and a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- First cream the butter on medium speed in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment for three to four minutes, until it's light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla and mix for one minute, then scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl again. When you have added the third cup of sugar, the mixture will start to thicken and appear dry.
- Add three tablespoons of the milk, then add the rest of the sugar — add more milk if the buttercream is too stiff. The desired consistency is creamy and smooth. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Continue to beat the icing on low speed for one to two minutes longer, until it's smooth and creamy. Do not mix on medium or high, as it will add too much air and be too fluffy. Add a few drops of your desired food coloring — one drop at a time — and mix thoroughly to get the right color.
- Use an icing wand to spread your buttercream over the cupcakes until they're fully covered. Top with a daisy decoration. You can store any extra icing at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days.
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