Potpourri: Ultimate Vanilla Cupcakes

Our son's Engagement Party happened Saturday. It was a fun and emotional day, and a successful "meet the families" weekend. Our son and his fiancée were radiant. It turned out that the shining star of the culinary offerings was the cupcake tower. Everyone went nuts over the yummy, delicate delights. We did a lot of experimenting months ahead to find the right recipe. We scrapped a couple of recipes that were too dense and dry. In the meantime, I also considered the food sensitivities of guests, especially those who were lactose-intolerant. In the end, we found the magic recipe; one that proved to be worth the extra time and effort it took to make them.

For the lactose-sensitive folks, I made the following substitutions: Almond milk instead of whole milk, IMO instead of sour cream, and Earth Balance Buttery Sticks instead of butter. That batch actually came out fluffier than the regular recipe.

The cake was over-the-top rich in vanilla flavor because it included vanilla from real vanilla beans, as well as 100% pure vanilla extract. The most time-consuming part of the process was scraping the seeds from the vanilla beans and working them into the sugar that would be used in the recipe. I completed that task two weeks ahead of time, so I wouldn't have to waste precious time right before the party, time that was at a premium. It turned out that the advance step allowed the vanilla to mellow into the sugar, making it that much more pungent when time came to make the cupcakes (our houseguest for the weekend, the soon-to-be maid of honor, managed to steal a few spoonfuls of the vanilla sugar for her coffee, and almost swooned over the added flavor.)

I'm including the links to the actual online recipes for both the cupcakes and the frosting. I must give credit where due to the bakers who developed these recipes. Give the cupcakes a try for a truly special treat!!

The Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake!

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Enjoy!

Note: Just for fun, the cupcakes were topped with toothpicks that bore a picture of the happy couple on one side and well wishes on the flip side.