Gearing up for a Party: Recipe

My son turns two this week and it's time to make cupcakes and cake, of course. The cake will be for him and family but the cupcakes will be for his schoolmates. I do love to bake and cupcakes are just great fun - who doesn't love a soft yummy cake to grab and sink their teeth into? Like Heaven! Here are a few sweets I've made with the very same recipe.



Yellow Cake/Cupcakes

1 1/2 stick of unsalted butter, softened at room temp
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs and 1 yolk

Butter and flour 2 9" pans

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir together flour, salt, and baking powder in separate bowl. In small bowl combine eggs, vanilla and milk. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture to the butter and mix well. Then add half of the milk mixture and mix well. Alternate a bit more with both flour and milk mixtures and end with flour.

Pour into 12 cupcake tray lined with paper cups or into mixing bowl and bake about 25-30 minutes of until tester comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a rack about 5 minutes and then turn out onto rack and cool completely.



Butter cream Frosting

1/2 cup Crisco
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. Vanilla
1 lb. confectioner's sugar
2-3 Tbsp. Whole milk

yield: 3 cups

Cream the shortening and butter in a large mixing bowl with electric mixer. Add vanilla and slowly add in sugar, one cup at a time and when icing appears dry, add in milk. End with sugar.


Sweetest-Old Fashioned Butter cream Frosting

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 Lbs. confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp. Vanilla

Cream the butter until light and add the vanilla. Slowly add in the sugar, one cup at a time. When mixture becomes somewhat dry, add in 1/4 cup of milk and mix well. Mix in more sugar, more milk, and end with sugar. Mix well.