With A Cherry On Top

As a Pinterest addict I can admit that every pin doesn't always turn out the best.  PLEASE tell me you've seen the Pinterest Fail site??  It makes me laugh so hard, but this is not one of those times.  This is a grand success and the timing couldn't have been better.  I made these for an awesome coworker's birthday.  His parents were with him on his birthday and came to see where he works so this turned out to be an extra special treat! 

Take a look at the inspiration... Pretty dead on right?  I could NOT find cherries with stems though.  If anyone has any ideas please do share. 

To make these birthday treats I stuck with my most favorite vanilla cake recipe and vanilla frosting.  As a slight cheat for the "sundae's" chocolate sauce I used chocolate melts (which I purchased at Michael's) instead of your traditional chocolate chips from the grocery store.  After you've melted the chocolate into a sauce I would recommend letting it cool slightly and it gives you the ability to mold that drippy, sauce look.

Very Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 4 large egg whites, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the racks in the center position. Line cupcake tins with cupcake liners. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine both flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.

In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, sour cream, and egg whites. Set aside.

Fit a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or use a hand mixer (I got a better dome with the hand mixer). Add the butter, sugar and vanilla bean paste to the bowl and beat at medium speed for 3 minutes, or until light. Scrape the sides as necessary.

Add the vanilla extract and one third of the flour mixture while beating on medium speed, again scraping the sides as needed. Beat in half of the sour cream mixture. Alternately add the remaining flour mixture and sour cream until all the wet and dry ingredients have added, beating until the batter fully incorporated and smooth.

Use a large ice cream scoop, evenly divide the batter between 22 lined muffin tins filling each about 2/3 of the way full.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers come out clean. Cool pan on wire rack for less than 5 minutes, then transfer cupcakes to the rack to finish cooling.

Vanilla Bean Buttercream

  • 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
  • 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract (to maintain the bright white color)
  • 1 ½ pounds (24 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
  • 2-6 tablespoons heavy cream

Preparation

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the butter and vanilla bean paste. Beat until fluffy. Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add the confectioners' sugar while continuing to beat.  I add one cup of powdered sugar at a time.

Once well blended, add in the vanilla and 2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk. Mix on low speed until well combined and moist. If desired, an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk until your desired consistency is reached. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

{Please note that if you're using the vanilla bean paste, the frosting won't be a bright white as mentioned in the ingredients.  I didn't use the paste for these cupcakes.}

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