Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Share
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedintumblr

It’s Sunday, time for a little treat?? So how about these Vanilla Bean Cupcakes? Moist, vanilla flavoured sponge, topped with the lightest, most dreamy vanilla buttercream and a pearl, because you are special.

FF Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Look how pretty these cupcakes are. So beautiful, that I almost called them antique Vanilla Bean Cupcakes, although I thought better of it. Since I’m pretty sure everyone would have imagined them as hard, mouldy, relics of the past – yep not conjuring up the image I’d like!!!

Especially stunning are these cupcake cases. A wonderful Christmas present from a much loved friend.

FF Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

 

Thank You For The Presents:

Because I received quite a few cooking and baking related presents last year, for both Christmas and my birthday, using them feel extra extra special. Especially the little, cute, individual cupcake stand , present from my hubby.

Also I was very excited to receive four cookbooks, which I enjoy reading, as if they are novels. Although I very rarely follow a recipe religiously, I gather inspiration and ideas from my ever increasing cookbook collection.

Am I alone in my cookbook obsession collection?  Thought not!!!

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes perfect for afternoon tea.
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

These Vanilla Bean Cupcakes were the final bake for a review I have been carrying out. So after much discussion with my daughter, regarding flavour combinations, we decided to settle on a classic vanilla sponge, with the addition of vanilla bean paste instead of extract. Yet I kept to vanilla extract for the best buttercream icing ever!

Look at that delicious swirl of buttercream.

The result being, the best cupcakes I have made, this year!

Recipe: Makes 12 deep filled Vanilla Bean Cupcakes or 18-20 standard ones.

For the cupcakes

150g/6oz Caster Sugar

150g/6oz Unsalted Butter at room temperature

1/4tsp Salt – I use Maldon 

150g/6oz Plain White Flour

1.5 tsp Baking powder – I use Waitrose 

1tsp Vanilla Bean Paste – I use Nielsen-Massey 

3 Large Eggs – I always use free range

25ml/1fl oz Whole Milk

Cupcake cases

For the buttercream

400g/14oz Icing Sugar -sieved

200g/7oz Unsalted Butter – very soft

1/8tsp Salt

1tsp Vanilla Extract – I use Nielsen-Massey

3tbsp Boiling Water

Edible pearls or sprinkles for decoration

Method: Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan oven, gas mark 4, 350F

Making And Baking The Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

  • First of all, into a large bowl add the butter and caster sugar.
  • Whisk the ingredients together until pale and creamy.

Whisk the sugar and butter together until pale and creamy.

  • Add the eggs, milk, vanilla bean extract and salt to the bowl and whisk until fully combined.

Add the eggs, milk, vanilla bean paste and salt to the bowl. Mix to combine be.

  • Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl.

  • Fold all of the ingredients together.

Fold all the ingredients together until combined. This will ensure the Vanilla Bean Cupcakes are light and fluffy.

  • Spoon the cake batter into each cupcake case so that they are half full.

Fill each cupcake case half way with cake batter.

  • Place the cupcake tray into the middle of the preheated oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes (a shorter time will be required for smaller cupcakes).
  • The cupcakes are baked when golden brown and spring back when pressed lightly in the centre.
  • As soon as the cupcakes are baked remove the from the oven.
Baked, golden Vanilla Bean Cupcakes.
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes.
  • Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then place them on to a cooling rack to cool completely.

The Key To Making The Lightest Buttercream Frosting:

  • Place the butter, salt, vanilla extract and butter into a large bowl.

Place the butter, salt, vanilla extract, sifted icing sugar and boiling water into a large bowl.

  • Starting on a low speed whisk all of the ingredients together.

Starting on a low speed, mix all the buttercream ingredients together, gradually increasing the mixer speed.

  • For the very lightest, creamiest buttercream, continue mixing for 10 minutes. The result will be the dreamiest buttercream icing you will ever have tasted.
  • The addition of very hot water to the buttercream mix, stops it from forming a hard crust.

Decorating The Cupcakes:

  • Fit a large piping bag with the tip of your choice – I used a large French star tip.
  • Fill the bag with buttercream and fold over the top of the bag.
  • Using a circular motion, pipe buttercream in a swirl effect, onto the top of each cupcake.
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes swirling, light buttercream, adorns the tops.
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
  • Finally top each cupcake with an edible pearl, or edible decoration of your choice.
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes an edible pearl provides the finishing touch to these edible treats.
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

I hope you’ll agree with me, that these cupcakes are elegantly beautiful ?

Usually I cannot wait to sprinkle edible glitter on, well pretty much anything I bake, but these Vanilla Bean Cupcakes looked so perfect after the addition of the pearl, that I managed to restrain myself.

Resulting in a spectacularly elegant cupcake, that tastes every bit as good as it looks.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes timeless elegance, in cake form.
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

While carrying out a review of a cupcake tin for British Bakeware, I was impressed with how evenly the cupcakes baked. Also the tin washed clean easily in hot soapy water.

These Vanilla Bean Cupcakes did not last very long in our home, although I did give our neighbours a couple. I believe food tastes better when shared. While I only spent 10 minutes with them, we had a lovely catch up chat and they were thrilled with the cupcakes I gave to them.

If you enjoyed this recipe for Vanilla Bean Cupcakes, then I hope you’ll like these too:

Black Forest Cupcakes

V Black Forest Cupcakes
Black Forest Cupcakes chocolate, cherries and dreamy topping.

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes 

FF Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

Pink Heart Topped White Chocolate Cupcakes 

FF Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
Pink Heart Topped White Chocolate Cupcakes

During the winter months especially, weeks, indeed months can easily pass without people living in close proximity, exchanging a word. Furthermore it really is worth taking a few minutes out of each day, once a week, or so, to make the effort to talk to those who live close by.

Are you friendly with your neighbours?

Do you keep a check on elderly or infirm neighbours, especially during the cold, winter months?

Whatever you are making, baking and creating have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie xx

@sammiefeasting Twitter/Instagram

Share
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedintumblr

Published by

Sammie

Hi, I'm Sammie and I’m passionate about creating tasty recipes, both sweet and savoury that you can make at home. Every recipe is easy and fun to make and should taste like a feast without the fuss!

10 thoughts on “Vanilla Bean Cupcakes”

  1. Oh my goodness, you are so right, this is the creamiest dreamiest vanilla buttercream I have ever tasted. I always thought buttercream was the food of the devil but I think the biggest mistake is made by not creaming it enough.
    Thankyou so much, I am now converted.

    1. Thank you Wendy. Adding the hot water and whipping the buttercream really do lighten it to the dreamiest consistency. X

  2. Ah thank you Emma. The recipe is very straight forward and, as someone who doesn’t usually eat icing, the buttercream is to die for! I ate 3 of the cupcakes!!! Xx

  3. Wow, these look so beautiful and lovely. I love vanilla cupcakes and will definitely give these a try!

  4. That little cupcake stand is adorable! Bonus points to the hubby for picking it out for you! These cupcakes look so lovely and I’m sure anyone who was lucky to enjoy one found it a real treat. And an edible pearl? I need to go shopping with you lady! If your neighbours ever move, having fresh baked goods next door is sure to start a bidding war! xo

    1. I know my hubby is definitely a keeper, cupcake stand or not. Inside in pale blue it says just for you and it has its own little glass dome!! I was really pleased with how these turned out and the pearl was the finishing touch. I’m going to have to up my game after diamonds and pearls, maybe gold leaf??? Xx

  5. These look gorgeous! I love the cases. Vanilla bean paste has to be one of my best baking discoveries in recent years. I want to put it everything!

    I’m also guilty of reading baking books like novels. My brother gave me the new Primrose Bakery book for Christmas and I’ve been flicking through it before going to bed most nights.

    1. It really is a great product. I really like adding it to homemade vanilla ice cream. I’m glad that it’s not only me who is a compulsive cookery book collector. Thank you for your lovely comments. Sammie X.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *