Considering I made 275 cupcakes last week, I think it’s fitting for me to share a cupcake recipe with you today. I really should say “we” made 275 cupcakes because remember my friend, Amy? The one I told you about here? Well, she pulled through again and upon hearing I was planning to donate desserts for a 250-person fundraiser to benefit Women of the Congo last Thursday, she came up and became my baking assistant for the day. Thank you Amy! BTW, this is what 275 cupcakes + a bunch of magic cookie bars, brownies and raspberry oatmeal squares look like:
Amy was not the only one who helped. My mother-in-law, Angie came up to take care of the kids while we baked and helped me bring everything into Manhattan on the day of the event. Who knew boxing up and transporting all of those desserts would be so much work? Aurora, the one mentioned here, came to help me box everything up. Additionally, my super-creative friend Claudia, a.k.a. Mrs. Evil, helped me with my signage and labels. Here’s a shot of the table:
So, you know the saying “it takes a village”? Well, it does! And I am so appreciative of those who helped me with this event. It was a great opportunity to launch my line of desserts but, more importantly, it was for an amazing cause. My very close friends, Allison and Jen, along with many other volunteers, headed up the benefit and worked tirelessly to aid Eve Ensler, the founder of the V-Day organization in supporting women, survivors of atrocities being committed against them in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, through the City of Joy. So far, they’ve raised over $300,000 in the last 5 years! An amazing event, a great experience and a perfect example of how one village of women can help another, even in a different part of the world.
So, here’s my vanilla cupcake recipe. I use it all of the time for our birthday celebrations. As a matter of fact, these were made for my son Jarrett’s 3rd birthday last Saturday:
I guess that makes over 300 cupcakes last week! That’s a lot, even for me! These cupcakes are so good. I used my trusted gluten-free flour blend. If you are not on a gluten-free diet, you can sub in the same amount of regular flour. The cake is moist and delicious and the frosting has the perfect amount of sugar. Not so sweet you’ll be hung-over from it after you crash from a sugar high, like some cupcakes. You know which ones I mean, don’t you?
- Cupcakes:
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 C sugar
- 5 large eggs at room temperature
- 3 t pure vanilla extract
- 3 C gluten-free flour blend (see post for link to recipe)
- 1 t baking powder
- ½ t baking soda
- ½ t kosher salt
- 1 C buttermilk
- Frosting:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4½ C confectioner's sugar, sifted
- 2 t vanilla extract
- 4 T whole milk
- Food coloring, optional
- Rainbow sprinkles, optional
- Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pan with cupcake liners
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes
- With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition
- Add the vanilla extract and mix well
- In a separate bowl, sift together the gluten free flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
- In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry
- Mix until combined (batter will be thick but should be smooth)
- Fill each liner ¾ full and bake for about 22-25 minutes, until the tops are firm and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Remove to a baking rack and cool completely
- Frosting:
- Cream butter and vanilla extract together until smooth
- In 3 parts, alternately add sugar and milk (just enough to smooth it out to desired consistency)
- Once you have your frosting ready, feel free to add any food coloring and/or topping you like
- Enjoy!
