Recipe: Velvety White Cupcakes by Eileen Talanian

Vanilla Vanilla Cupcake by Billy's Bakery
For Illustration Purposes Only

Recipe by Eileen Talanian Velvety White Cupcakes (Makes 18 cupcakes) Eileen Talanian's family loves these rich and creamy cupcakes. They are not too sweet, and can be dressed up with just about any kind of frosting. The color is a lovely ivory with a golden brown, soft crust. They will surely become a favorite for your family, too. 1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 3 egg whites from eggs graded large (3 ounces) 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 3/4 teaspoon salt 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 2 cups cake flour 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole or 2% milk Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and adjust the racks so they divide the oven into thirds. Line 2 standard size cupcake pans with cupcake liners (there will be 24 wells). Place the butter, granulated sugar, and egg whites in a mixing bowl and cream them on medium high speed for 5 minutes, until the mixture is smooth, and light in color. Scrape the bowl and add the vanilla, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl again and add half of the flour, beating on low speed until the mixture is evenly blended, about 30 seconds. Add all of the milk and beat on medium low speed for 30-45 seconds. Scrape the bowl, add the remaining flour, and beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl well, giving the batter a few stirs to be sure it is evenly mixed. Divide the batter evenly into the lined cupcake wells. [If you only have one cupcake pan (with 12 wells) you should measure the cupcake batter and use exactly half of it to fill the wells, then bake them, remove them from the pan, cool the pan, and repeat the lining, filling and baking process.] Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes, reversing the pans halfway through the baking time. The cupcakes will be done when a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and place the pans on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the cupcakes from the pans and place them on the wire racks to finish cooling. Do not frost the cupcakes until they are completely cool.