Nov 04 2009
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting.
Please update your google readers! http://feeds.feedburner.com/howsweeteats/smSp
I am fairly scatter-brained when it comes to baking. Either I see a picture of a dish I want to re-create, or an idea pops into my head.
Regardless, I never have butter sitting out. Do you have this problem?
Being that I go through approximately 16 tons of butter weekly, sometimes the butter is even in the freezer.
This poses quite a problem. I am not exactly an example of patience.
I don’t have much.
Or any.
Martha Stewart says to cut up the butter in 1/4 inch slices and let it sit for 10 minutes.
What happens when you are a 26 year old freak with insane hot flashes and your house is a frigid ice palace? Martha’s technique, sadly, has failed me.
It would work if I had more patience. But I don’t.
So, Mother Lovett taught me her trick. Put the butter in the microwave for 6 seconds. Not 4. Not 7.
Only 6. Run for 6 seconds. Run again. And again. And again. Just until the butter is soft.
Why not just run for 24 seconds? I don’t know. Don’t ask. Pray to Mother Lovett in Heaven and see if she’ll give you the answer.
It works like a charm.
Unless you have a demonic microwave that sounds like a jet engine is taking off every time it’s used.
Then this happens.
So I’ve learned that if I put it in MY microwave, it can only be for 3 seconds.
Monotonous? Yes.
Better than throwing a giant tantrum since I won’t have softened butter for 3 hours? Absolutely.
Ahhh, sugar.
I love vanilla beans. I love working with them.
I scraped this baby clean. I felt I had to, since I spent my entire life savings on this vanilla bean. Totally worth it.
Creamy cake batter.
My husband committed the ultimate sin.
He bought me lowfat buttermilk.
Oh, the horror!
(really, I think he is trying to tell me something.)
The cupcakes looked gorgeous when they came out of the oven. Beautiful. Full, fluffy, and the perfect size.
I left them to cool, and went back to finish eating some calorie-laden dish chock full of bacon grease and cheese. But when I waddled over to check on the cooling cupcakes, what did I find?
This.
I kind of just threw this recipe together, so wasn’t sure where I went wrong. Judging from the amount of cupcakes I had, I decided I definitely had added too much milk.
The End.
Not really.
It drove me crazy, so I made them again. I used regular milk (actually – I used organic skim) and less of it and this time the recipe came out perfect!
Lesson learned: do not test a recipe with $14.99 vanilla beans. Unless you enjoy throwing $14.99 in the garbage can.
Here is a beauty. See the specks of vanilla bean?
My husband would not even try one. He hates vanilla bean. That is what he says.
He loves regular vanilla. Please tell me – is there a difference in taste of regular vanilla and vanilla bean? How could you like one and not the other?
I think he is it’s mental.
Since the cupcakes worked, it was time for the frosting.
I made a basic buttercream and added more cash vanilla bean to the mix.
I love the specks! I still can’t get over them.
I have always been an early riser. I went through a period where I would wake up before school, get a small bowl of vanilla bean ice cream, and mix it up until it became like soft serve. Then I would eat it while watching Captain Planet.
And I wasn’t 6 or 7 years old.
I was, like, 14.
The picture does not do it justice, but the frosting has a pearlescent glow to it. Vanilla bean pearls.
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
contents of 1/2 vanilla bean
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350.
Cream butter, sugar, and eggs together until fluffy. Add vanilla and scraped vanilla beans. Make sure vanilla is mixed into batter.
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Add the milk. Once mixed, add remaining dry ingredients.
Pour into cupcake tins and bake for 20-25 mins at 350. Let cool, then frost.
Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting
1 cup butter
2 lbs powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk +
1 tablespoon vanilla
contents of 1/2 vanilla bean
Mix butter and powdered sugar together, adding sugar gradually to the mix. Add milk gradually, vanilla and vanilla beans. Continue to add milk and sugar until it reaches the desired consistency.
Do you want a taste?
If you are coming to Good Taste Pittsburgh - you will get to try this cupcake! Come visit me there. 
Stay tuned for a delicious giveaway.
Looks amazing!
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Wish I COULD be there!
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YUM!! Looks delicious. And I have to say, your husband is crazy if he likes vanilla but not vanilla bean. They taste the same…I mean mainly, except vanilla bean is better! You should make him try it, as he may THINK he hates it beut really he doens’t. I do that to Nick a lot.
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Jessica Reply:
November 4th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
hahaha oh – I do this very often.
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Those look delicious! Great job icing them – the look professional!
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those look awesome! ok so i am not getting your feeds….off to update my RSS feed, thx for the link and also just read your comment on Abby’s site about my nanna muffins. thx girl
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nice!
i put the butter on defrost for short bursts to soften it.
cause who plans ahead to make cookies? honestly.
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That cupcake is definitely the most beautiful thing I’ve seen all day. I am totally tempted to buy a plane ticket for this whole taste of pittsburgh thing! I’d try to make them myself, but I’m pretty sure all the buttercream would end up in my tummy before it’d make it on a cupcake.
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haha I don’t have the patience neither for the butter to soften. and I always use micro-wave to accelerate this process. thanks for justify me doing so !
I had once in a botanic garden and smell those vanilla beans. They have such a big sweet smell that it spread all over the garden and makes me end up with a big vanilla ice cream. Maybe you can take your husband to smell some real vanilla bean to change his mind.
btw, that’s really nice frosting – so cute !
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Oh My Goodness!! Vanilla bean is my favorite!!
I can’t wait to try those cupcakes!
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I would LOVE to try them!
Ha, you shouldn’t have told your husband you used vanilla beans and then maybe he would have tried them? ; )
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What? Who hates vanilla bean?
I am so glad you went back and re-did them. I would have done the same and if you had given up, well, I would have felt like a freak.
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Oh, the frosting is so pretty!! I saw vanilla beans at Costco this weekend and the price was actually pretty good – I want to say it was like 6 of them for 12.99, I remember thinking they were around $2 each.
I soften butter in the microwave too, but I use the defrost button for 30 seconds to a minute.
I also freeze butter! But, it’s a good thing when it comes to pie dough or anything that requires you to “cut in” the butter. Alton Brown has a great tip for that, by the way – grate the frozen butter on a box grater. Works like a charm.
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Yes, your husband is slightly mental, especially if he doesn’t like vanilla! Your icing looks so cute swirled like that. I love it!
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How can he not like vanilla bean!!?!? I like plain old vanilla extract, but vanilla bean is the ultimate. Maybe he really is crazy…
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These look lovely–I love the way you frosted them!
Thanks for the butter trick. I usually just stick it in the micro and forget about it, which always turns out badly! Six seconds. Got it.
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WHAT! I’ve never even heard of Vanilla Bean cupcakes. My Happy-O-Meter just shot up 10 points. Ahhh….
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Those are beautiful. Have fun at the food festival thingy.
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Jess, You amaze me more and more each day. WOW Im so proud of you. The cupcakes look out of this world. Keep up the good work. I cant wait to see you Saturday for your debut and your BIRTHDAY!!!!! xoxo
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Jessica Reply:
November 5th, 2009 at 6:32 am
You’re the best! Love u guys.
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There’s just something about vanilla and butter together that’s perfect. Seriously, the early stage of butter and sugar, I eat with a spoon.
As for the microwave, ours has a button that says ‘soften’. Makes butter room temp. Ask me how often I use that button!
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Oh, and next time don’t scrap those vanilla beans. You can use them, even scraped, to flavor sugar or simple syrup, etc.
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you don’t have to store butter in the fridge do you? I thought butter existed well before refrigerators, and it sat out and did just fine…
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Jessica Reply:
November 5th, 2009 at 9:10 am
I don’t know about that, but if I let it all sit out it would take oven my house.
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The cupcakes look really good. I LOVE vanilla bean, I plan on making a vegan chocolate cake this weekend, I think the icing would go really well with it
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You had me at vanilla bean…
In the never ending controversy between vanilla and chocolate, I am always on the vanilla side, and if that side is vanilla bean, I am in heaven.
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They look perfect. Cute frosting swirl. I love vanilla, but my friend says that when I use real beans, she comes out in hives. So they stay on my shelf, since she eats most of what I bake.
Nice to smell now and again though.
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Yum! They look awesome. I would have totally baked them again too. good call. Love that frosting!
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Jessica, your husband is one lucky man let me tell you what. hahaha great post I will try these soon
!!!
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I love the idea of fresh vanilla bean… but have never dared to try anything with it!! You may have inspired me…
Blessings!
Amanda
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oh wow! totally craving a cupcake right now!
beautiful recipe!!
SIX SECONDS ON THE BUTTER ! GOT IT!!! HA!
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[...] What happens when you are a 26 year old freak with insane hot flashes and your house is a frigid ice palace ? Martha’s technique, sadly, has failed me. It would work if I had more patience. But I don’t. So, Mother Lovett taught me her trick. … I left them to cool, and went back to finish eating some calorie-laden dish chock full of bacon grease and cheese. But when I waddled over to check on the cooling cupcakes, what did I find? This. IMG_1889 …This Post [...]
How much sugar does the cupcake call for?!
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[...] Thanks, Jessica, for the recipe! [...]
Your cupcakes look so yummy. I love how you put the frosting on top. It looks so creamy. yum! Thanks for the recipe
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I love how the frosting looks, the cupcake must taste great, it’s vanilla after all.
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You definitely get down and dirty with the vanilla…no extract for you!
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These look amazing! Love this post very funny!
I LOVE cupcakes!!
Blessings,
BSCOOKS
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Could you tell me what tip you used for the frosting, it looks very creamy and professional.
Thanks.
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