Vanilla Cupcakes
- 24 paper cupcake liners
- 2 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cool unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2⁄3 cup milk (regular, low-fat, or fat-free)
Instructions:
- Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a standard 24-cup muffin tin or two 12-cup tins with the cupcake liners. If using silicone muffi n tins, set them on a large baking sheet.
- Whisk the fl our, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until creamy and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. Beat in the egg, then the 2 egg yolks and the vanilla until smooth.
- Beat in half the milk. Turn off the beaters, add half the fl our mixture, and beat at low speed just until moistened. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, beat in the remainder of the milk, then beat in the remainder of the fl our mixture just until incorporated.
- Scrape down and remove the beaters. Use a rubber spatula to give the batter a few stirs, just to make sure there are no pockets of undissolved flour. Spoon the batter into the cups, filling them about two-thirds full.
- Bake until puffed and slightly firm to the touch, until a toothpick or a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
- Cool for 5 minutes, then unmold and cool on a wire rack until room temperature before frosting.