Kate's Plate

Yellow Butter Cupcakes
{Martha Stewart "Living" Feb 09}

3 cups cake flour, sifted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 sticks, plus 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp.
2 1/4 cup sugar
5 large eggs, plus 3 large yolks, room temp.
2 cups buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low: mix in the remaining wet ingredients, i.e. buttermilk and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to this mixture in three additions. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl! Divide batter among the muffin cups, filling each 2/3 of the way full. Bake about 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in tins on wire racks.


Basic Buttercream Frosting

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temp.
1 lb powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about two minutes. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time tunil well incorporated. Add vanilla at end, and beat until buttercream is smooth. Use immediatelly, or cover and stash in fridge for up to three days.