Buttermilk Cupcakes with White Frosting

If you love cupcakes and you love frosting, this is the recipe for you. It's a yummy, fun-to-make frosted cupcake recipe that's perfect to serve at your kid's birthday party, as a Valentine's Day treat, of simply just because you feel like it.

Yields: 24

Cooking Time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 eggs
• 3/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
    
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and the half teaspoon of salt into a medium-size mixing bowl, and set the bowl aside.
    
3. Break the eggs into a small bowl, and set aside.
    
4. In an electric mixer, cream the 3/4 pound of butter and the (granulated) sugar until they are light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
    
5. With the mixer running, carefully pour in the eggs and the vanilla and almond extracts.
    
6. Mix in the flour mixture and the buttermilk by alternating between 1 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of buttermilk; be sure to start and end with the flour mixture.
    
7. Line a cupcake tin with paper liners. Fill each cup with batter using an ice-cream scoop with a 1/4-cup capacity; the batter should nearly reach the top of the cups.
    
8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool the cupcakes for 45 minutes on a baking rack.
    
9. Generously ice them with white frosting.

White Frosting

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the powdered sugar and the 4 tablespoons of butter until smooth.
    
2. Add the 1/4 teaspoon of salt, lemon extract, and milk; beat until smooth.
    
3. If the icing is too thin, add more confectioners sugar; if too thick, add more milk.

Notes

For more great Valentine's Day recipes, click here to view and download our new Valentine's Day eCookbook!

See this recipe and more in 35 Halloween Party Appetizers.