Magnolia Cupcakes

Recipe from:The Magnolia Bakery
Photos by: JS and CY


So,I have heard alot about bakeries selling good cupcakes in New York but there was a particular one whose name keeps popping up at every food blog and review site. I then decided to try out the recipe for it one Friday night so as to satisfy the photographers' cravings for food with "more life and colour". Quoting JS: "I really cannot help you much if you keep baking things that are brown you know..." Hence, the inspiration for baking cupcakes.

Had a lot of fun doing this one. Invested in this pastry piping bag thing which really, could be ranked number 1 in Val's-bad-baking-tools-investment chart of the year 2007. Well, I could be biased now because I caught sight of this amazing pastry piping pump sold at the Chicago outlet of Williams-Sonoma which costs USD$25 *gulps*. It was made like a huge plastic syringe (easier for cleaning) and had up to 10 different nozzles! The $5 pastry piping bag I got from Krogers was such a disappointment! Seriously.Messy messy affair with frosting dripping everywhere. (ooo.it rhymes!)But, I got it done in the end and yippee..it tasted kinda decent too. Could have done better with the texture of the cupcakes itself though but sigh, what can I say, good creaming = good mixer+patience+noise pollution = need moolah + need to learn to be patient + nice housemates (which I thankfully have)


It is 4am and I am getting really tired!So enough with all the "let's tell you about my life and how it turned out to be a cupcake/cookie/cooking affair".straight to the recipe.

Magnolia CupCake
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Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups All-purpose flour
1 cup Unsalted butter, softened
2 cups Sugar
4 Large eggs, room temperature
1 cup Milk
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


1. Line 2 (1/2 cup-12 capacity) muffin tins with cupcake papers.
2. In a small bowl, stir to combine the flours. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth.
4. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
5. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat.
7. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.
8. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full.
9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
10. Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes.
11. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
12. Ice with tinted Vanilla Buttercream and sprinkles.


Magnolia's Vanilla Buttercream Icing
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Makes enough for one 2-layer 9-inch cake or 2 dozen cupcakes*

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

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 good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Do visit Magnolia Bakery at:

401 Bleecker Street
New York, NY. 10014
212 462 2572