Yellow Butter Cupcakes
Hello bakers. I fell off the baking wagon two weeks ago, missed two delicious-looking chocolate cakes, and just yesterday got my baking mojo back. The clinic is closed for repairs this coming week so I have plenty of time to bake a couple of chocolate cakes, and an orange chiffon layer cake as well....So I hope.In the meantime, Free Cake Week is upon us and I decided to do something that would pair well with the tub of white chocolate lemon buttercream leftover from the cake tasting. Looking through my choices, I decided on good ol' yellow butter cupcakes. A nice easy project to ease me back into the rhythm of weekly baking.
March 16, 2011
Name of Cupcakes: Good Ol' Yellow Cupcake Friends
Occasion: HCB, and I need to use up the frosting
Constituents: Sour-cream yellow butter cupcakes frosted with leftover white chocolate lemon buttercream
There is nothing wrong with these cupcakes. They are a little bit dense, springy, tender, and full of flavor. They don't really need any frosting but while you're at it, you might as well. Truth be told I would have preferred a nice fudgy chocolate frosting, as yellow cake and rich chocolate frosting is my favorite cake combination, but the lemon buttercream was a perfectly good second choice.
My only complaint with the recipe, and it has been complained before, is the batter makes 16 cupcakes, when a standard cupcake tin holds 12 cakes. Instead of making four extra cupcakes I made an extra little bundt cake, which I ate while still warm without frosting. Just so I could honestly tell you these cupcakes don't really need frosting.
The cakes are made in the classic two-stage method, and by now I know that method by heart, as I assume all of you do too. I mistakenly set up the crock pot in front of the mixer, so instead I used my hand held. My butter wasn't quite up to room temperature, and although the Kitchen Aid doesn't complain when that is the case my poor hand held mixer started to smell like burning motor parts. Sorry little mixer!
I love that Rose gives the exact weight of each cupcake--50 grams--which means that all the cupcakes were finished baking at the same time, and all of them cooled to nice flat tops even with the cupcake papers. So perfect! The little bundt cake had a bit too much batter as it domed over the top and filled up the hole, but no worries (all perfectly edible).
I know I complain about how cold my apartment is--and it is my fault as I am a heat miser--and it really works against me when I am softening butter or buttercreams. The frosting was hard as a rock even after sitting on the counter for a couple of days. Even after taking the hand mixer to it, the frosting just kind of curdled a bit. I probably should have done the whole remelt-rebeat thing, right? I didn't and the cupcakes got slightly chunky tops.
No matter--even if they look a bit rustic, the taste is pure heaven.
Chunky frosting or no, your cupcakes look delicious :)
ReplyDeleteI made them (and the chocolate ones) about a month ago and was so pleasantly surprised at the light and crumbly texture. I agree with you that they are fantastic plain, but your lemon-white chocolate frosting sounds great!
Love the picture of the inside view. It looks very moist. I haven't made this yet but I have to think it's similar to if not identical to the yellow butter cake from the Cake Bible, which I love.
ReplyDeleteinthekitchen, thanks! the frosting is from woody's lemon luxury layer cake; despite seeming fussy it is worth all the effort.
ReplyDeleteHanaa, they were very moist. I also thought they would be similar to TCB's all-occasion downy yellow butter cake, but I think that award goes to the She Loves Me Cake. These cupcakes are more similar in ingredients to the Sour Cream Butter Cake, except the cupcakes are made with whole eggs instead of just egg yolks. Either way, they are delicious!!
The things we put our mixers through. :)
ReplyDeleteThey look stiff delicious, stiff frosting or not.
ECL, I have been slacking as well--we must be on the same time schedule. If the white chocolate lemon frosting is the one from Woody's Lemon Luxury cake, I would put that on a car tire and eat it. It is one of those recipes that makes the whole book worth it. I want a cupcake!!
ReplyDeleteThey do look rustic! When I saw the first photo I thought the frosting looks fab. Good to know the flavor works well.
ReplyDeletePS: You can always split recipes ECL, make half of the 16 cupcakes :).
Lois, I know, our poor little mixers. I did apologize to it.
ReplyDeleteSarah, the car tire comment was one of the best comments I think I've read! It was indeed the frosting from Woody's Lemon etc cake. However, try the frosting on the golden lemon almond wedding cake--it is even more delicious in my opinion!
Jenn, oh math lady, I know I can shrink the recipe, but half of 16 is 8, which still isn't 12. Also, I always feel like I'm not really doing the real recipe when I divide it, which is totally untrue. (You are proof of that!)
These look absolutely scrumptious. I love the buttery lemon flavor. Mouth. Watering.
ReplyDelete