Geroy's Birthday

Silly, I know. A friend decided at the last minute to celebrate her puppy's first birthday. She asked me along with my little dog, and it was a great afternoon with friends and too many snacks. It also gave me an excuse to do some baking! I decided on trying the Magnolia Bakery's Vanilla Cupcakes. I found the little bears at a craft store, they're very cute.

Most of Magnolia Bakery's cupcakes are frosted with an offset spatula, but I took the opportunity to test out my new Ateco #828 piping tip. I had to search high and low to find one, and I've been itching to use it.

The icing is white, so it would be a great opportunity to get creative with colors!

The buttercream in particular is extremely easy to work with, sometimes they can be challenging.

The recipe is also available online at marthastewart.com.

For the Cake:

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup milk

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. In a small bowl, combine flours; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy, about three minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla, and scraping down sides of bowl in between each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about three-quarters full. Bake, rotating halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool in tins for 15 minutes. Remove cupcakes from tins, and cool completely on rack. Once cupcakes have cooled, frost the tops by using a small offset spatula.

For the Vanilla Buttercream:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, 4 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating for about 2 minutes after each addition, until icing reaches desired consistency; you may not need to add all the sugar. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.