My children went to a birthday party this past Spring where the hostess served most divine cupcakes I’ve ever tasted on this earth. They were so delicious that all I could do was inhale them and irrationally tell myself that I would face the consequences later on. I parked myself next to the table, hoping nobody was watching the sheer gluttony that was unfolding as I licked my fingers of frosting, frantically shoving in every last crumb. I think I ate three full-sized cupcakes in less than ten minutes. After the party, I asked the hostess for the recipe, and she gladly shared. I love this woman because she is a full-time lawyer yet I’ve never heard her say “I’m so busy,” she just gets things done. She stayed up all night the evening before this party baking and frosting 150 cupcakes (I know that seems like a lot, but she probably wanted to be well-prepared for people like me who would put a real dent in the inventory). I admire her can-do attitude almost as much as I admire her cupcakes.
Heather’s Best.Cupcakes.Ever!
This recipe makes A LOT of cupcakes, around 50, so you can scale it down accordingly.
The Cupcakes:
I highly recommend doing this with your Kitchen Aid mixer if you own one. Start by creaming 3 sticks of unsalted butter. While butter is creaming, slowly add 3.5 cups of sugar (gulp!), a bit at a time. Scrape the bowl as you go, ensuring it is all well-combined. One at a time, add 6 room temperature eggs (let them stand for at least 30 minutes before using them), and mix well after each egg is added. Mix in 2 TBSP of vanilla, even if you are making chocolate cupcakes. For other flavors of cupcakes, instead add 1 TBSP vanilla plus 2 TBSP flavoring (lemon, almond, etc.). In a separate bowl, whisk together 5 cups of King Arthur flour, 2 scant TBSP of baking powder, and 1 tsp of kosher salt. (If you are making chocolate cupcakes, use only 4.5 cups of flour and add 1 cup of powdered baking cocoa). Mixing on low speed, slowly add flour mixture and 2.5 cups of fresh milk to the butter batter. You need to add it bit by bit. Mix until just incorporated. Pour batter into paper lined muffin tins (no more than 2/3 full), and bake in a 375 degree oven for 16-18 minutes. The tops of the cupcakes should be barely browned, and will have risen to the tops of their paper cups. Remove right away and let cool on a rack. Once cupcakes are cool, frost immediately.
The Butter Frosting (YUM!)
Cream six sticks of room temperature salted butter. Once butter is well creamed, reduce mixer speed to low and add two TBSP vanilla and any food coloring desired. (If you are making chocolate frosting, add 1 cup powdered cocoa and/or up to 2 cups of melted chocolate chips and substitute almond flavoring for vanilla if desired). Once mixed, increase speed to medium and slowly add powdered sugar. Depending on moisture content of batter, it will take 9-12 cups of powdered sugar to reach the right texture (at this point the batter should be smooth but way too stiff to spread like frosting).
Slowly add milk to frosting, incorporating one tablespoon at a time, until frosting is proper spreading consistency.
Use immediately to frost cooled cupcakes.
Assuming the butter and milk are fresh, these will keep several hours at room temperature. The texture is better if they are not refrigerated. If needed, the frosted cupcakes can be frozen.
If it’s sounds like a lot, I’ve tried to be as detailed as possible. You can easily do this in one hour start to finish! ENJOY!
Not a baker? No problem!
Get out and enjoy a cupcake (or three) at one of my favorite cupcake bakeries, Georgetown Cupcake OR Magnolia Bakery. They even ship! Imagine how happy you’d be to see cupcakes arrive at your door!
Bon Appetit!
