Vanilla cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

Baking is somewhat therapeutic. It is somewhat comforting, when you have buttery fingers, pressing into dough, scooping cupcake batter into muffin cases or just simply, decorating cakes. Baking has become one of my stress-relievers, and on Thursday, I did that.

I had a pretty terrible week, so a good way on the day before Friday, was to bake some simple vanilla cupcakes.


Vanilla cupcakes were the first ever things I started baking. My mum always told me to start 'simple'. With all the craze of chocolate nutella cupcakes, oreo cupcakes, sometimes it's always nice to just bake the most basic type of cupcake: a vanilla cupcake.

I have been using this recipe for the past few years, and if you're searching for the perfect vanilla cupcake recipe? Search no more.

I have tried other vanilla cupcakes, but yet they have not been as good as this. I used Magnolia's bakery vanilla cupcake the other day, but the appearance I achieved was horrid, and it felt a bit dense. These cupcakes are light, fluffy, with the perfect amount of butteri-ness you need in a cupcake. It's not too sweet either. It goes well with any type of frosting, but my personal favourite is cream cheese.

This time, I used pure vanilla extract instead of my normal vanilla bean paste. Pure vanilla extract in these cupcakes are perfectly fine, and are very tasty, but if you can, invest in some vanilla bean paste! No, it's not the cheapest thing to buy in the supermarket, but this makes a whole lot of difference.

On that Thursday night, I was feeling too tired to take out the piping bag and the icing nozzle to individually pipe a rose, or some sort of swirl. I just decided to use a spatula and put a dollop on each and spread it. And sprinkle with some colourful sprinkles.

Vanilla cupcakes 
Adapted from Taste

* Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:
100 g butter, softened
185 g white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste. *I would increase to two teaspoons if using vanilla extract
2 eggs
203 g self-raising flour
1/2 cup milk (125 ml)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F). Line muffin pans with 12 muffin cases.
2. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer (I did it by hand). Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until just combined.
3. Sift the flour and add it with the milk, in intervals. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
4. Spoon mixture evenly among the muffin cases. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cream cheese frosting
Adapted from Joy the baker

Ingredients:
2 and 1/3 cups icing/confectioner's sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons butter (42 g), room temperature
4 ounces (half a cream cheese block) cream cheese, cold
1/2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Method:
1. Beat  the icing sugar, vanilla extract and butter together until smooth in an electric mixer (or by hand).
2. Add the cream cheese and combine until well mixed. Do not over-mix it because the consistency will become too runny.