THE BEST Vanilla Cupcakes

Yes yes I know, everyone claims their cupcake recipe is the best but I’ve tried
many and these have come out top of the list.
Makes 12 cupcakes

What you’ll need:
1 1/4 cup (140g) cake flour
3/4 cup (144g) granulated white sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, softened
3 TBSP vegetable oil
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1 TBSP pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1/2 cup (120g) sour cream, room temperature
Chopped pecan nuts, about ¾ cup
Golden syrup

Vanilla Buttercream Icing
1/2 cup (114g) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
2-3 TBSP whipping cream (substitute with milk if necessary)
A dash or two (or 3) of Kahlua – because why wouldn’t you put some booze in
your icing?

Preheat oven to 180° C. Line muffin tin with baking cups.
With an electric mixer, beat together cake flour, sugar, baking powder,
bicarbonate of soda and salt on low speed for about 20 seconds. Add softened
butter and oil and mix for about 1-2 minutes to coat the flour, until mixture
resembles wet sand.
In a small bowl, whisk together egg, yolk, vanilla, and sour cream until smooth.
Slowly add the wet mixture on low speed. Scrape down bottom and sides of
bowl. Increase to medium speed and beat for about 1 minute until the batter is
smooth.
Distribute the batter between the baking cups, filling about 2/3 full. Bake for 16-
20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. (About 10 minutes

for mini cupcakes). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing the
cupcakes.

With an electric mixer, beat the softened butter on medium-high speed until light
and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in vanilla and salt. Add the sifted icing
sugar, 1 cup at a time, starting on on low and increasing to medium, until fully
incorporated, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Add cream, 1
tablespoon at a time. Then slowly add the Kahlua until desired consistency is
reached. Scrape down bottom and sides of bowl. Increase to medium-high speed
and beat for an additional 5-10 minutes until smooth, light and fluffy.
Sprinkle the chopped pecan nuts over the tops of the iced cupcakes and drizzle
each one with some golden syrup.
Yum yum!