Cupcakes: A Necessary and Worthwhile Splurge

So, sometimes you need to splurge in life...this definitely applies to food, perhaps even more than most other situations as well. I was once instructed by my best friend Jax (recent NYU graduate from the Nutrition and Dietetics program...nice little plug for her!) that "if you're intensely craving something quite specific for more than just a few days, you should probably give into it." It most likely means that you're experiencing a deficiency of some nutrient that is essential to normal nutritional functioning. Obviously, this does not mean that one should gorge on Doritoes or french fries! If you allow yourself a normal portion of whatever this craving is, you'll probably be more than satisfied, while concurrently curbing the craving (for at least until you crave it again :P....)

Anyway, recently I was craving the decadence of a Buttercup cupcake, but to my dismay, I was approximately 75 miles away from that particular Bake Shop in Manhattan. Now, I'm not going to give a whole spiel on the absolute brilliance that is Buttercup (because any self-respecting New Yorker surely knows this pure brilliance), but I will urgently advise you to check out one of their two locations at your leisure if you are not personally familiar with the majestic Buttercup experience!

Anyhow.....off track yet again!

So, to my dismay, I was not fortunate enough to hop on the subway and grab this bundle of decadence, but I COULD create them myself. I seemingly remembered hearing that I could mimic the recipe that I found online by the "sister" bakery (and originallly made famous by its stellar appearance on "Sex and the City"), Magnolia.

Obviously, re-creating something you've already tasted and hold so high on the "scrumptulescent" pedestal is never going to be easy, but when the recipe calls for the amount of butter and sugar that it unfortunately does, it's really hard to go wrong! So, check it out....the original Buttercup Cupcakes....

Buttercup Vanilla Cupcakes

CUPCAKES:
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 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing. At the bakery we ice the cupcakes with either Vanilla Buttercream or Chocolate Buttercream.

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

DECADENCE is certainly the word that comes to mind after biting into one of these bad boys. I know I definitely "jumped" in level of relative difficulty on this blog but cravings like these tend to come out of nowhere as well, so the situation fits I suppose! Seriously though, if you follow the exact directions, the recipe proves to really only be time consuming (and leaves you with a shitload of useless confectioner's sugar, butter, and whole milk if you're me)...

These cupcakes were happily devoured by yours truly and any friend willing to take the bulk of the cupcakes that this recipe yields off of my hands. Like I mentioned before, indulge your cravings IN MODERATION...so if you make this LARGE and IN CHARGE batch of cupcakes, I suggest you give some out to friends. They'll love them!

I would also like to close this blog with a comment on the "cupcake experience" as it were. There is something about eating a cupcake that beautifully forces us to regress to childhood...and you're never too old to get down with your "juvenile" self and have a cupcake experience!