1. Beat all ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until well blended.
2. Use on cooled cupcakes.
3. Enjoy!

I was going to use the Amy Sedaris vanilla cupcake recipe, but honestly I just think the Magnolia Bakery recipe is so amazing that I can’t get away from it. I’ve used the Amy one before and it came out a little dry, so I’ve been meaning to try it again but I’m addicted to Magnolia and cling to it like a crackhead with her pipe.

MAGNOLIA’S FAMOUS VANILLA CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups self-rising flour
• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake papers.

3. In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

4. 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.

5. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

They look like big, soft, sweet Barbie™ cupcakes don’t they!? I ♥ Barbie™!

Supposedly it makes 24. I always get 36. This time I got 30. I don’t know. Don’t ask. If you can’t handle that many, then halve the recipe.

The Magnolia recipe is so delicious I eat it out of the bowl. I’m not condoning this behavior, and I’m not to be held responsible if you eat too much and get sick from the raw eggs. But goddamn is that a good batter.

How did the frosting taste? Good. Very very sweet (I had to cut it with a little vanilla extract and that didn’t do much). I’m talking sickly sweet. Attractive too, but totally fake. They’re like the Pamela Anderson of cupcakes. I actually next time would use HALF the packet, maybe even just add a little bit at a time until I thought it was enough. If you’re a fan of fresh fruit, and would never think of ingesting anything less than pure fructose, then you’ll hate it most likely. But you have to loosen up a little and take it for what it is! Its made from a powder drink mix for cupcake’s sake… its not meant to be healthy and fresh and organic. I actually think this is a much better use for Kool-Aid than drinking. Or hair-dying. And it gives you an excuse to name your cupcakes inappropriate things, like ‘Jim Jones-in for Grape‘ or ‘Electric Kool-Aid Acid Orangecakes.’ Now tell me those wouldn’t be an instant hit at the bake sale!

You’ll notice my transparent silpat there, under the cupcakes.. heh…

And just as a side note, Kool-Aid makes a rootbeer flavored powder as well, and I’m wondering if it might make a more flavorful rootbeer cupcake. There might be a part two of my rootbeer float cupcakes. Stay tuned.

Also… I recieved some vintage cupcake toppers today and I’m super psyched for Halloween now.  Well I’m always psyched for Halloween really, it being my favorite holiday. These toppers were usually used on bakery/storebought cakes and cupcakes from the 1960′s, all the way up to the 80′s (I remember getting them on Entenmann’s Halloween cupcakes as a kid).  I got witches, bats, black cats and one each of a pumpkin man and a pumpkin woman flying on a broom! I already have my two batches of Halloween cupcakes planned. Yes, two batches. These will probably only go on one batch… curious yet? Sorry! You’ll have to wait a month. Boo hoo.

And before I go, I’d like to direct you all to the funniest website on the internet. Well, maybe not THE funniest. But seriously, it had me laughing my proverbial ass off for a good 25 minutes. Genius.