Mama Needs Cake: Vanilla Mini Cupcakes

Cupcakes are so delicious! They have the perfect amount of cake to frosting ratio, and if you are lucky they are filled. These are just a basic vanilla cupcake with a Classic French buttercream frosting. One of the fancy things about these is that you use actual vanilla bean. The vanilla bean adds an extra bit of rich vanilla flavor. Make sure you check the note on what to do with the empty pod.

Ingredients

Cake

1/2 Cup butter

1 egg

2 egg yolks

1 Vanilla bean* or 1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 Cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 Cup Whipping Cream

Frosting

1 1/2 Cups unsalted butter

1 Cup sugar

1/4 water

6 egg yolks

2 tablespoons Vanilla Syrup or water

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Have your eggs and butter stand at room temperature for the cake and frosting. Make sure you separate your eggs before you leave them out to get to room temperature it is easier to separate when they are cold. Line your mini muffin pans with your cupcake liners or grease your pans. Plan for about 48 mini cup cakes, I never get that many so props for you if you can.

To scrape your vanilla bean, begin by taking a sharp knif and slicing the vanilla bean in half long ways so you have two pecies or opened up. Taking the dull side of the knife scrape the bean pod and removing the seeds and place them in a custard cup and set aside.

*You can take the remaining part of the vanilla bean and use it to make vanilla sugar. In a container place the bean in it and cover it with about 1-2 Cups granulated sugar and let sit for about two weeks and use as you would regular sugar, just don't use the bean.

In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

Once your butter has softened, beat you butter for half a minute and then adding the sugar, and cream together, making sure you scrape the sides of your bowl. Add the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, the vanilla bean seeds and eggs. Combine well.

Alternately add flour and whipping cream to the butter mixture while at a low speed, until combined, the batter will be thick.

Spoon batter 3/4 full into the cupcake pan. Smooth the top with a spoon.

Bake for 15 minutes or till a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes and remove and place on wire racks and cool completely.

Frosting

Your butter and eggs should be room temperature by now. Whisk your egg yolks in s bowl and set aside. In a sauce pan combine the water and sugar.

Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once all of the sugar is dissolved and clear remove from heat.

Gradually whisk half of the sugar mixture into the egg yolks. Then whisk it all back together so you have one mixture in the sauce pan.

Bring to a gentle boil and reduce the heat. Stirring continuously for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in and vanilla and vanilla syrup. You can find the vanilla syrup at Home Goods and TJ Maxx.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl, you can use the one you had the yolks in the first place. Place in whole bowl in another bowl that has ice water. Stir frequently till it is room temperature.

In your mixing bowl beat the butter until fluffy.

Take a fine mesh strainer, and place it over your mixing bowl and strain your egg yolk sugar mixture. Using a rubber scraper press as much of it through while keeping the solids in the strainer. Make sure you scrape the underside of the strainer too. This is what happens when you rush and don't temper your eggs well enough. Using the fine mess strainer helps keep the frosting nice and smooth.