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Vanilla cupcakes with strawberry frosting on a wire rack.
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Fluffiest Vanilla Cupcakes EVER with Strawberry Buttercream

The Fluffiest Vanilla Cupcakes are topped with a super Strawberry Buttercream, for the perfect bite of cake!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24 Cupcakes
Calories: 315kcal
Author: Cynthia

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cup cake flour (300g)
  • 1 ½ cup granulated sugar (300g)
  • ½ tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Those Fats

  • 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature, cut in pieces (113g)
  • cup canola or vegetable oil (80g)

Wet Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs (120g)
  • 2 large egg yolks (36g)
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sour cream (240g)

Strawberry Frosting

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks) (226g)
  • 4 cups powdered sugar (500g)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch Kosher salt
  • 1.2 oz (1 pkg) freeze dried strawberries, pulsed to a powder in the food processor. I buy these at my local Hipster Joe's, but our Interweb Overlords also sell them.
  • 2 tablespoon heavy cream

Instructions

Making Some Darn Fluffy Cupcakes

  • Preheat your oven to 350°. Line 2 cupcake pans with cute little liners. In a stand mixer, mix together all your dry ingredients for about one minute. Add your softened butter and oil, and mix on low speed until it’s the texture of wet sand and all the dry ingredients are coated in delicious fat.
  • Whisk together your eggs and yolks, vanilla, and sour cream. Add to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed until everything is just incorporated. About one minute. DO NOT JUST KEEP MIXING! We don’t want tough cupcakes.
  • Remove bowl from stand mixer and use a rubber spatula to make sure all the ingredients are well mixed. There might be tiny lumps, and that’s okay. This is bits of fat and it will all come together while baking. Trust me.
  • For regular sized cupcakes, fill a lined cupcake tin using a large (3 tbs) cupcake or ice cream scoop. This will fill each liner about ½-2/3 full.
  • Bake in a 350° oven for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a cooking rack until completely cooled. If you have to have one unfrosted cupcake for, you know, quality control, I understand.

Strawberry Frosting

  • Place your freeze dried strawberries in the food processor and pulse 5-6 times, or until you get a good powdery consistency, you know, like Kool-Aid before you add water.
  • Mix your strawberry powder with your powdered sugar and whisk it together.
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat butter for 2-3 minutes or until it turns a lighter shade of yellow and looks quite fluffy.
  • Add your "strawberry sugar" to your butter, ½ cup at a time. To avoid a sugar shower, start on low and increase speed as it is incorporated. After each sugar addition, turn the mixer to high for a few seconds to lighten the frosting a bit. Add salt, 2 tablespoons of cream, and the vanilla and mix in completely. Now let 'er rip! Turn your mixer up to high and let it go about 2-3 minutes, or until very light and fluffy. If it feels too stiff, add the last tablespoon of cream. If it feels too "loose" you can add ¼ cup of powdered sugar.
  • Frost the cupcakes by your favorite method and enjoy your light and fluffy cupcakes. Ahh. The perfect food, right?

Nutrition

Calories: 315kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 170mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 359IU | Vitamin C: 121mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg