1 and ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting pans
1 and ½ cups self-rising flour (to make your own self-rising flour, mix 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 and ½ teaspoons baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt; this makes 1 cup of self-rising flour)
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
Frosting:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
¼ teaspoon salt
5 cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1-2 Tablespoons heavy cream
blue food coloring
sprinkles, for decorating (optional)
Directions
Make the cupcakes:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two standard muffin/cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk the flours together and set aside.
In a measuring cup, mix together the milk and vanilla.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, cream the butter on medium speed until smooth. Slowly add in the sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time until well mixed.
Turn the mixer down to low and alternately add the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Do not over mix.
Evenly distribute the batter into your prepared baking pans, filling each paper liner at least ¾ full. Bake in your preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a
large bowl if using a handheld mixer, whip the butter and salt on
medium-high speed for about 30 seconds. Turn the mixer down to low and
add the powdered sugar about ½ a cup at a time. Add vanilla and mix.
Drizzle in the heavy cream. If your frosting seems too stiff, add more
cream. If it's too soft, add more powdered sugar. Once the frosting is
to your liking, add in the food coloring (I used about 10 drops) and mix until the color is uniform.
Once the cupcakes are cool, pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes and
decorate with extra sprinkles if desired. I used a Wilton 1M open star
tip to pipe my cupcakes.
Recipe by Mandy's Recipe Box at https://mandysrecipeboxblog.com/vanilla-cupcakes/