The Tuesday Treat: Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

Sometimes simple is best, and so it is with these cupcakes. Fluffy frosting, vanilla-infused cake — careful, you may find it difficult to eat just one.

Makes one dozen cupcakes

Vanilla Cupcakes

6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and lightly flour a cupcake tin (or line with cupcake liners).

Cream the butter until soft and add the sugar slowly, beating until light. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat to blend well. Sif the flour, baking powder and salt. Alternately blend the dry ingredients and the milk into the butter mixture in three stages, and beat until smooth.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Stir a third of the whites into the cake batter, and then gently fold in the rest.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes and cool in pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a rack.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

4 oz. unsweetened (or bittersweet) chocolate, chopped
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 stick butter or margarine
2-3 Tbs. [soy] milk, plus more, if needed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. salt

Heat chocolate a double boller until melted. Let cool to room temperature. In a bowl, of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter, the milk, and vanilla and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, then reduce the speed to low. Add the chocolate and beat until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute more.

If the frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks.