Recipe of the Week - 3 Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Sea Salt

(Picture by Cheryl Porro of Cupcake Bakeshop)

While enjoying my carrot cake cupcake at our DC/Metro Cupcake Group meetup this past Sunday, I heard about this recipe from one of the other group members. They're called 3 Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Sea Salt, and they come from Cheryl Porro of the Cupcake Bakeshop by Chockylit. Cheryl creates each and every recipe on her blog! Anyway, I love vanilla, so I can't wait to try this recipe. Here's the recipe from her website:

Vanilla Sugar

1 vanilla bean, split

1 pound sugar

1. Split the vanilla bean but don’t scrape out the seeds. Put it with the sugar in an airtight container. Store in a cupboard for around 5 days or more. Shake it up once in a while.

3 Vanilla Cupcakes

20 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven

3/4 cup (1-1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1-2/3 cups vanilla sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

2-2/3 cups flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out

1. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined.

3. Measure the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

4. Measure out the milk and vanilla and stir to combine.

5. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk/vanilla and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.

6. Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 2/3’s full. Turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake cupcakes for about 22-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Vanilla Bean Frosting
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 package (8 ounces) philly cream cheese

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out

4-5 cups powdered sugar

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy.

2. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined.

3. Add the vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, and 3 cups of powdered sugar and beat at low speed, occasionally stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, until light and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar to arrive at the consistency and sweetness you like.

Assemble

1. Frost each cooled cupcake with a healthy mound of frosting.

2. Top with vanilla seat salt or whatever you so desire.

(A little sidenote from Chockylit, if you can’t find the vanilla sea salt, just find some high quality sea salt and mix it with some vanilla bean seeds.)