Classic Cupcakes

Who doesn't love a cupcake?!  They're easy to make, fun to decorate (sprinkles, anyone?), easy to serve, and delicious to eat! Perfect for bake sales, showers, weddings, or "just because!" Although these classic vanilla cupcakes are delicious made with our All-Purpose or Silky Smooth Pastry Flour, you'll get the finest texture and lightest color with our Frederick Cake Flour.

Yield: 12 cupcakes.  If you want to get fancy (like Janie's Mill manager's daughter Halley did in these photos), add 2 Tb cocoa and 1 Tb milk to half of the vanilla batter, and then make half-chocolate-half-vanilla, or marbled cupcakes!

• Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups Janie's Mill Frederick Cake Flour, Silky Smooth Pastry Flour, or All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup milk, also at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  

  Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

  2. Grease a muffin pan, or line with cupcake papers.

  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and mix until the mixture is crumbly.

  4. Whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix briefly. Scrape the bowl, and mix again briefly. Don't over-mix!

  5. Then scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan, using about 1/3 cup for each one.

  6. Bake the cupcakes for 16 to 18 minutes, until lightly browned and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

  7. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then gently tilt them out of the pan and place on a rack to finish cooling.