I heart cupcakes

This week was a week of celebrations for Wally and I. First off, last Monday was our first anniversary. One year since we know each other....I can't believe it...It seemed yesterday that we met at Nomad Cafe in Berkeley for a beer. And at the same time so many things happened that it could seem 10 years ago. 

Also, Wednesday was my birthday! Omg! I turned 33! You know, I never had issues with age and, I have to admit, the 30s are fantastic. But somehow, the number 33 doesn't feel right and this year my birthday gave me a lot of thinking. However, Wally was amazing in cheering me up. Last Sunday he organized a fantastic surprise trip to Napa valley with the wine train and the visit to the Chandon winery, which makes an amazing champagne :)  

That alone would have been an amazing gift but Wally went further and he "virtually" gave me my birthday present too. I say "virtually" because the gift is not ready yet but he was able to show me the work in progress. He asked a friend of his, who is a super cool artist, to make me a blog header. I kept mentioning that I wanted to hire somebody to redesign my blog and I kept postponing, waiting for my first paycheck, or better some savings. Wally not only preceded me...he totally beat me...even if unfinished I could already see how the header is going to be SOOO me! If I had done this job myself, I don't think I could have obtain such a perfect result. I TOTALLY LOVE IT! Thank you amore! 

So the header is not ready yet but will be soon and I am looking forward to surprise you with it! In the meantime, I would like to share these super cute cupcakes that I made for this week of celebrations. The "design" is not at all mine. I saw it a looong time ago on justjennrecipes and I thought that it was simply ge.ni.us. Very simple to make and yet sooo cute! I changed the recipe a bit because I did not want lemon cupcakes and instead I had cravings for vanilla. You can use any cupcake and frosting flavor that you like. The important thing is that you don't need to be a super expert in cupcakes decorations to be able to surprise your beloved ones with these adorable cupcakes!  

Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients

yields 10 cupcakes
113 gr (1 stick or 8 tbsp) butter, softened
230 gr (8 oz or 1 cup) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
230 gr (8 oz or 1 cup) all purpose flour

1.25 gr (1/4 tsp) baking soda

1.25 gr (1/4 tsp) salt

120 ml (1/2 cup) milk

2.5 gr (1/2 tsp) vanilla extract

food color (optional)

Frosting

140 gr (5 oz) cream cheese, softened and cut into small pieces

30 gr (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces

5 gr (1 tsp) vanilla extract

340 gr (1 1/2 cups) sifted confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 325F degrees, and prepare a cupcake pan with liners. 

In a big bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until you obtain a light cream. Add the eggs, one by one, making sure you incorporate well the first before adding the second one.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk and finally add the vanilla extract. (and the food coloring if you decide to make your cupcakes colored)

Fill the cupcake liners TO THE TOP of the cupcake liners. This is very important because it will insure you have enough top to cup off. 


Bake for 20 minutes, test with a toothpick, and cool on a wire rack.

While the cupcakes are cooling – make the frosting:

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter for about 3 minutes or  until smooth. Add the vanilla and beat well. Gradually add the sugar and keep beating until you obtain a very soft cream. Cover and refrigerate the icing for a couple of hours to thicken before using.

When the cupcakes are cooled, take a serrated knife and gently cut off the fluffy tops, right at the paper. Using a small heart-shape cookie cutter, cut out the center of the tops.

Frost the flat top of the cupcake that you just cut and then place back the top. Super easy, right? Now you can surprise your beloved with these adorable cupcakes even if you are not an expert in cupcake decorations! 

Source: adapted from Just Jenn Recipes


With this recipe I participate to La Cuisine en Rose. Check it out!