The FLUFFIEST homemade cupcakes ever. . .

. . . and the lightest, not-too-sweet frosting. It took me a while to perfect this recipe, but I want to share it because they are so darn incredible. People sometimes don't believe they are homemade and my coworkers practically beg me to bring some in.

The cupcake:

170 cals
2 g protein
8 g fat
24 g carb
negligible fiber.

The frosting will add more calories. I haven't added the frosting recipe to see what it adds up to yet.


DISCLAIMER: It is VERY important to use cake flour as it has a significantly lower amount of gluten in it than all-purpose flour. In regular ol' all-purpose flour, as you mix the batter, the gluten develops and results in a denser, dryer cake. Using a flour with less gluten allows for a more moist and light-weight cake. If you insist on using regular flour, you will NOT get the fluffiest cake ever. Be warned. Cake flour ftw!

DISCLAIMER II: It is VERY important to weigh ingredients when baking. One persons cup of flour could be a whole lot more or less than another. Even 50g more flour will totally alter the recipe. I have been fiddling with this for months now and I promise I've got this down to a science. Trust me. Weigh your stuff!

This recipe makes 2- 9" Round Cakes or about 26- 50g cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 15-20 mins for cupcakes. About 25-30 minutes for cakes.

345 g CAKE FLOUR
14 g baking powder (about 1 Tbsp. . . I'll be honest, I don't weigh this one...)
1.5 g iodized salt

226 g unsalted butter (I just use 2 sticks)
350 g granulated sugar

4 large eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla

8 oz whole milk

Allow all ingredients to come to room temperature before beginning.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until mixture is CONSISTENT.

ONE AT A TIME, beat eggs into mixture until consistent.

Add vanilla and mix well.

In SEPARATE BOWL, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt THOROUGHLY with a whisk to dispel any clumps.

Beginning and ending with dry ingredients, alternate mixing 1/3 of the dry and 1/2 of the milk into the mixing bowl. Mixing each time only until incorporated into batter, do NOT over-mix! It may even be better to use a spoon instead of an electric mixer to develop the gluten as little as possible. I have had the best results by hand mixing the batter at this point.


Frosting:
Fluffy Vanilla Frosting
1 cup milk
5 tablespoons flour
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Combine flour and milk in a medium saucepan and cook on medium, stirring constantly.
Once mixture is a thick batter, remove from heat.
Stir in vanilla.
In mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar and butter.
Beat thoroughly until mixture is consistent.

Combine milk/flour batter into mixing bowl and beat well.
Place frosting in refrigerator to allow it to thicken.
Remove and beat thoroughly.
Repeat over and over again until you have a thick enough consistency for frosting.
^^By adding the still-warm flour/milk mixture to the butter and sugar, you are melting the sugar and removing the gritty texture that would be left otherwise. Sure, it takes a bit of time with the refrigeration and you COULD just cool it on the stove top and THEN add it. . . but it will be gritty. Ick.


Anyway, I hope you enjoy this recipe. I love it, it's the best, and I am proud of myself for figuring it out! Let me know what you all think!