New Baby

My friends, Clarence and Eileen, welcomed their new baby girl Eleisha Kaylen Lau into the world on June 15, 2009. She is adorable. Makes me want to have a baby... almost! I made some cupcakes to celebrate Eleisha's first day home.


I used Magnolia's Vanilla Cupcake and Vanilla Buttercream recipe and was not pleased. Maybe I did something wrong or maybe they left out their secret ingredient, but these cupcakes were too eggy. They tasted like those asian egg rolls. The icing was also way too sweet and grainy. So, I continue on my quest of making a perfect vanilla cupcake.

Magnolia's Vanilla Cupcake


INGREDIENTS
1 and 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, at room temp
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Pre-heat oven to 350F
2. Stir together both flours. Set aside.
3. Cream butter on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add sugar and beat until smooth (~3 min)
4. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat after each addition.
5. Add dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with milk and vanilla.
6. With each addition beat until ingredients are just incorporated. Do not over-beat.
7. Bake 20-25 min.

Makes 2 dozen cupcakes


Magnolia's Vanilla Buttercream


INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Add butter, 4 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla to mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until creamy.
2. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition until you get the right consistency.