White Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

I am a perpetual teenage girl, stuck on my many teeny-bopper shows, and as I sit here tonight watching the very last episode of One Tree Hill I can’t help but reflect on the last 9 years. Very few shows are on the air for that long, and aside from the original 90210 which I checked out on in the last few years because there wasn’t dvr and I had to work, there aren’t many shows that are on for more than a couple of years that I have seen from episode 1 all the way to the end.

I’ve grown quite attached to the characters and the stories, and as childish as it may seem to many, I feel like a part of my life is ending tonight and it’s sad to say goodbye. Yes, I know they are just characters, but they feel like people I could know in real life. I’m grateful for an official series finale instead of the crap ending that Brothers and Sisters was given. I’m still bitter about that, if you couldn’t tell. So, at almost 32 years old, I show you all the teenager still in me and remind you that there is a child still inside us all…whether it’s a tv show, a video game, a movie, or a delicious cupcake that reminds us of being a child in our grandma’s kitchen. Don’t take life so seriously that you can’t still have those moments of innocence and fun.

I am privileged to be able to watch my Godson grow up and I cherish every day that he is little because I know he will grow up way too fast.  These adorable little cupcakes that I made for his party allowed me to make something fun, cute, and most importantly – delicious! The chocolate cake and cupcakes were a hit, but I heard the most compliments about the white cupcakes. Being a chocoholic, you can see how this would surprise me, but I’m glad that the white cupcakes were such a hit!

White Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
 Source: Beantown Baker, Originally from The Way The Cookie Crumbles

White Cupcakes

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 cup and 2 tablespoons milk, room temperature
• 6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), room temperature
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp table salt
• 12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool

1. Set oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into 2-cup measuring cup, and mix with fork until blended.
3. Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer on low speed. Add butter and continue mixing on low speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining.
4. Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed for 1½ minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and mix an additional 30 seconds, scrape down the sides and then mix 20 seconds more.
5. Divide batter evenly into prepared cups. Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15-17 minutes (8-11 for miniature).
6. Cool completely before frosting.

• 20 Tbsp (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups Confectioners’ sugar
• 1/8 Tbsp table salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp heavy cream

1. In standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds.
2. Add confectioners’ sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds. Scrape down bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds.
3. Scrape bowl, add vanilla and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.