Vanilla Cupcakes & Vanilla Buttercream

I bought I knew cupcake cookbook today (OK, three, but who's counting?!).  We decided to go with vanilla cupcakes and vanilla buttercream frosting.  The recipes from both came from cupcakes: Luscious bakeshop favorites from your home kitchen by Shelly Kaldunski.

Vanilla Cupcakes

* 1 1/4 cups AP flour
* 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 6 TBSP unsalted butter
* 1 large egg
* 1 large egg white
* 1/2 whole milk

Makes 12 cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat together sugar and butter on medium high with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Add the egg and egg white one at a time, beating well on low speed after each addition, then beat in the vanilla.  Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk in 2 additions, beating on low speed until just combined.  Beat on medium-high speed just until no traces of flour remain, about 30 seconds; do not overbeat.

Divide the batter into muffin cups.  Bake about 18-20 minutes.  Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes then on a rack for approximately 1 hour.  Frost

Vanilla Buttercream

* 3 large egg whites
* 3/4 sugar
* pinch salt
* 1 cup unsalted butter cut into 16 pieces
* 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean

In large bowl, combine the egg whites and sugar.  Set the bowl over (but not touching) simmering water in a saucepan and heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is very warm to the touch, about 2 minutes.  Remove the bowl from the saucepan.  Using an electric mixer on high, beat the egg white mixture until it is fluffy, cooled to room temperature, and holds stiff peaks, about 6 minutes.

With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the salt and the butter, a few pieces at a time, beating well after each addition.  If the frosting appears to separate or is very liquid after all the butter is added, continue to beat on high speed until it is smooth and creamy, 3-5 minutes more.  Add the vanilla extract and use right away.

My frosting turned out well.  I got a new pastry decorator and it worked fabulously.  The cupcakes?  The cupcakes turned out a little heavy for my liking.  I am not sure if it was the recipe though or my failure?  I did end up using skim milk instead of whole milk.  I also may have beat the batter too much when adding the flour which I have read can really ruin the lightness of a cupcake.  I may have to try this recipe again another time using the whole milk it calls for and being more careful with the mixing.  Also, not sure if it was just my oven but the cupcakes were ready after 15 minutes.  Oh, and I doubled everything, making 2 batches this time.  Here are a couple of pics of the results.

Design One

And Design Two

Still not perfect, I know, but I'm working on it!