Moist Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla French Buttercream

Yield: 16 cupcakes 

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 1 ⅔ cups (213g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, melted
• 3 egg whites, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
• ½ cup (120 ml) sour cream, room temperature
• ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk, warm

Frosting:

• 5 large egg yolks
• ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp (45 ml) water
• 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, room temperature and cubed
• 2 tsp (10 ml) Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
• pinch of salt

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Then whisk together.
3. Separate the eggs. Put yolks in fridge, reserving them for the French buttercream.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, sour cream, and whole milk until combined. This mixture may be a little clumpy; that's a-okay.
5. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture. Mix until combined, being careful to not overmix.
6. Fill cupcake liners ⅔ full with batter.
7. Bake for approximately 18 minutes, rotating pans halfway through the bake. Cupcakes are done when a wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean with only a few fluffy crumbs attached. Centres will also be springy to the touch.
8. Cool cupcakes completely.
9. Once the cupcakes are totally cool, make the frosting. First, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg yolks until they are thick and foamy.
10. While eggs are being whisked, combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. While stirring, heat on low until sugar dissolves. Then increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil.
11. Cook sugar mixture until it reaches 240°F (soft-ball stage). Upon reaching soft-ball stage, remove saucepan from heat immediately.
12. With mixer on low, slowly pour sugar hot syrup into bowl with egg yolks.
13. Keep mixing until entire bowl is cool to the touch and the yolk and sugar mixture is room temperature.
14. Add butter to bowl one cube at a time, allowing each piece to be fully incorporated before adding the next cube.
15. Add vanilla and salt. Keep mixing until buttercream is creamy & smooth (5–6 minutes).
    NOTE: If your sugar/water mixture goes a little past soft-ball stage and you end up with a few sugar chunks in your frosting, don’t fret! After the buttercream is finished, run it through a sieve to remove any sugar chunks. Then beat with a mixer for a couple minutes.
16. Pipe or spread frosting on the cooled cupcakes.
17. Refrigerate the cupcakes until you’re ready to serve them.

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Cupcakes Source: Preppy Kitchen
Frosting Adapted from: Preppy Kitchen