Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes

Many of you that know me are aware of my fondness for cupcakes. I love their cuteness, their individuality, and their ability to turn into a piece of edible art. I've made many cupcakes in my life, and intend on making more. When my husband and I lived on the East Coast and went to New York often, we would always try cupcakes from one of the many bakeries that specialize in them. My favorite was the vanilla cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery in the West Village, which I've referred to a couple of times in my personal blog. Manhattan is pretty far away from me now, and I was exhilarated to find their recipe on Cupcakes Take the Cake the other day, so I decided to make them!  I made a few adjustments to the recipe, such as reducing it to 12 rather than 24 cupcakes, and make 1/4 of both frosting recipes. I wanted chocolate-frosted and vanilla-frosted cupcakes! I didn't change them much, just used buttermilk instead of regular milk, increased the vanilla, used margarine instead of butter in the cupcakes, and added a bit of espresso to the chocolate frosting to intensify the chocolate taste.

The recipes, as I made them.


Cupcakes:


3/4 cup SR flour

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons AP flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Line muffin tins with cupcake papers.


In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.


Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Vanilla frosting:


1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.
Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of a good spreading consistency. I added a drop of red food coloring to make them pink!

Chocolate frosting:


1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 teaspoons milk
1/4 cup chocolate
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon powdered espresso
1/2 teaspoon water

To melt the chocolate, place in a double boiler over simmering water on low heat for about 5-10 minutes. Stir occasionally until completely smooth and no pieces of chocolate remain. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5-15 minutes, or until lukewarm.


In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the milk carefully and beat until smooth. 


In a small bowl, dissolve the powdered espresso in the water, then mix into the chocolate. Add the chocolate mixture to the butter mixture and beat well, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat for 3 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat on low speed until creamy and of a desired consistency.