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We had a baby shower at the house last weekend. If you follow along with SRFD you probably remember we had another co-ed baby shower just a few weeks ago, with 80 people. Our son Patrick and his wife Callie are expecting their first baby, a little girl, in just a few weeks. This shower was for our daughter Allie who is expecting her second child, a little girl. The girls are due about 8 weeks apart. Isn’t it lovely the two little girl cousins get to grow up together? We are truly blessed. Poor grandson Isaac will have two girls to deal with. Being four years older will make for some interesting shenanigans in a few years. As you probably know, a baby shower to welcome a sweet little girl must include a pink explosion and tender White Cupcakes with fluffy Vanilla Buttercream!
Cakes are not ususally my most successful recipes. In fact, I made 40 really horrible looking cupcakes before I started a new recipe (thank you King Arthur Flour for saving the day!) I was very pleased with these tasty white cupcakes with almond and vanilla flavors. The outside browned a little more than I had hoped but the inside was perfectly white, tender and moist. All our guests each headed home with a small plate of extra cupcakes … so they must have loved them!
The Whipped Vanilla Buttercream is light and fluffy and easy to pipe. I love a soft icing that doesn’t get hard and crusty and this held up well at room temperature for several hours. The baby shower had a pink and gold theme and little pink tutus, ruffles and leggings among the lovely gifts. Hair ribbons, dresses, headbands and blankets, all in lovely pastels, rounded out the fun.
Pin for your next party!
I made a diaper cake for our daughter, which requires no baking! Best cake I’ve ever made. We had a simple punch of Fresca and White Grape Juice which is always a hit. I typically don’t drink soda but did enjoy a nice cold glass. Every time I make this punch people ask for the recipe. It doesn’t get much easier than that. And let’s not forget our grandson, who is soon to be a big brother. He was seriously thinking about snatching one of the cupcakes before the party started!
White Cupcakes with Fluffy Whipped Vanilla Buttercream
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 2 ¾ cups cake flour
- 1 ⅔ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 large egg whites plus 1 whole egg
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
For the Buttercream:
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 32 ounces powdered sugar sifted (use less if desired)
- 2-4 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare muffin tin with paper liners.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. Blend on low to combine. Add the softened butter and mix on low until crumbly and a little like coarse sand.
- Start adding the egg whites, one at a time. Blend well on medium speed after each addition. If you're not sure how long to beat, go another minute. It's important to scrape the bowl all the way to the bottom after each addition. After all the egg whites have been added, blend in the whole egg. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom again and mix one more time.
- In a two cup measure, combine the milk, vanilla, and almond extracts. With the mixer on low, slowly stream in ⅓ of the milk mixture. Beat 1 to 2 minutes until fluffy. Repeat until all milk has been added. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat 2 more minutes.
- Divide the batter into 24 cupcake liners.
- Bake 16-18 minutes or until the top is no longer wet, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean, a few crumbs are okay. Remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to rest in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely.
- Frost as desired.
For the Buttercream:
- Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy.
- With the mixer on low, add the milk, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat another minute on medium to combine.
- Slowly add the confectioners' sugar beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat on medium-high for about 3 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Adjust by adding more milk if needed for desired consistency.
- If not using immediately, refrigerate and rewhip before using.
Recipe Notes
- White Cupcakes Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour
- Fluffy Whipped Vanilla Buttercream Adapted from a recipe by I Am Baker for Whipped Vanilla Buttercream
Nutrition
Let the babysitting begin! I’ll turn them all into little sous chefs haha. If you’re looking for a good cupcake recipe that works, I hope you will give this one a try. I was very pleased and I am often hard to please when it comes to cake recipes.
Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!
Tricia
Keith @ How's it Lookin?
They look so good. The almond flavor sounds awesome, thanks a lot
Thalia @ butter and brioche
such perfect little cupcakes! and congratulations too!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Thalia!
Jane
Will using plain flour instead of cake flour make much of a difference?
Tricia Buice
Hi Jane – I have not tested this recipe using all-purpose flour but you can substitute it for cake flour in many recipes if you sift it first. It may change the texture slightly but I think it will be fine. Hope you enjoy the cupcakes! Thanks for reading and commenting.