How to Make Great Vanilla Cupcakes
The way to make great vanilla cupcakes is to use the best ingredients possible. Whatever recipe you use, the inclusion of premium unsalted butter, fresh eggs, whole milk and above all, real vanilla extract (never imitation!) or better yet, seeds from a vanilla bean, will give your vanilla cupcakes the extra boost in flavor you’re looking for.
Never used real vanilla bean? Here’s how:
- Run the tip of a sharp paring knife down the length of the bean to cut it in half. Use the flat edge of the knife to scrape the small seeds out of the pod. A little goes a long way when it comes to fresh vanilla. A standard cupcake recipe that yields 12 to 16 cupcakes will only need about ½ the seeds from a fresh bean. Save the other half for the frosting.
- Vanilla beans can be expensive, get the most for your money by using the empty pod to flavor sugar. Chop one pod into small bits and toss it into 2 cups of granulated sugar. Store the mixture in an airtight container. Let the sugar absorb the vanilla flavor for about 7 days before using. Use it for making cocoa or adding extra vanilla flavor to favorite baked goods.
Frost your vanilla cupcakes as soon as they are cooled. If you don’t have time to frost right away, cover them tightly with plastic wrap. Frosting isn’t only delicious; it helps keep the moisture inside of the cake. And speaking of frosting, don’t glob on the super-sweet frosting in a can. The sugar and artificial flavorings in canned frosting will dull your taste buds to the delicate goodness of real vanilla. Use a vanilla-enhanced cream cheese frosting instead. The tartness in the cream cheese is a wonderful compliment to the subtle sweetness of vanilla.
