Vanilla Cupcakes with Leftover Chocolate Frosting

I made a tiny batch of 6 cupcakes to use up the chocolate buttercream left over from the last post. I quartered the Taste of Home White Cake recipe as reviewed by Laura’s Sweet Spot in her vanilla cupcake comparison.

Overall, this cupcake was super light and fluffy, almost like a chiffon cake. I liked it a lot but wouldn’t recommend it if you prefer your cupcakes on the cakey/dense side. It was not too sweet which made it perfect with the frosting, but if you plan on eating them without any frosting, increase the amount of sugar and/or vanilla.

Small-Batch Vanilla Cupcakes
Adapted from Taste of Home/Laura’s Sweet Spot
Makes 6 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 stick (1 oz/2 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/8 cups sugar
• 1 egg white, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/16 tsp salt
• 1/3 cups buttermilk, room temperature (or if you don’t have buttermilk, measure 1/3 tbsp vinegar into a measuring cup and dilute up to 1/3 cup with regular milk)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F and line 6 cups of a regular muffin tin with paper baking cups.
• Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
• Add egg white and beat well.
• Stir in vanilla extract.
• In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk to combine.
• Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter/sugar mixture, mixing well after each addition – add flour in 3 additions total and buttermilk in 2 additions total.
• Distribute the batter evenly among the baking cups. Bake cupcakes for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

---