Operation Wedding Cake: Vanilla Cupcakes, Attempt #2 | Recipe

Ah-ha!

Giada you're a genius.

This recipe was a winner. Everyone seemed to like them, except for one critic who believed there wasn't enough icing. Again, personal preference. He wanted a mountain, not a swirl.

Also tested the happy-happy part of doing two-tone icing. Very good, very good[:

This recipe is by Giada De Laurentiis. They smell SO good when they're baking. The whole kitchen smelled like sweet vanilla cupcakes and they have a pretty golden color to them, too. My iPod's camera certainly isn't doing justice.
It would probably go great with ice cream, just saying...

Ingredients:
Yields: 12 Cupcakes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup quinoa or almond flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Frosting of choice
Special equipment: one 12-cup muffin pan and 12 paper cupcake liners, such as Betty Crocker Standard Size Baking Cups

Directions:

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the sugar and butter until combined. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups (about 1/4 cup batter in each cup). Bake until puffed and the cake springs back when touched, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Using a small spatula, frost the tops of the cupcakes. Allow the frosting to set for 20 minutes before serving.