A Great Start (Mini Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting)

March is off to a great start.  Aside from the beautiful weather, I have enjoyed a lot of family time.  Saturday I spent the day strolling through a local flea market searching to be inspired, looking for something to decorate my home.  But nothing called my name and that was ok, I was in the great company of my sisters-in-law.  I did however, walk away with old comic books for a Superhero craft, an old "SEE HEAR READ-Peter Pan" book (remember those, they had the red cassettes included in the set), a jar of cinnamon apple jelly made with red hot candies, and my absolute favorite-candied jalapenos.

Yesterday, we enjoyed a beautiful day at the Austin Kite Festival.  The weather was on our side giving us the clearest of skies and a slight wind.  We sat in the grass watching hundreds of kites soar through the sky, listening to the wind rip through the nylon and plastic, and treating ourselves to rather large sno-cones.

One of the many reasons people love Austin!

Afterwards we headed to a birthday party to eat fajitas & sopapillas and enjoyed a tiny snack of crawfish (one of my faves!).  It is birthday month in this family-a niece, a sister in law, a nephew, another nephew and another niece all celebrate within the next few weeks, and thus I will share some cupcakes with you.

We are going "Plain Jane" this time around, vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream.  It is simple, classic, not too fussy and generally loved by all.  Enjoy!

My favorite kite! 

Magnolia's Vanilla Cupcakes
source:  More From Magnolia

approx. 2 dozen regular size cupcakes

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

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners.
2. In a small bowl sift both flours, set aside.  In a larger bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. 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.
4.  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 3/4 full.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
6. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes.  Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

***I made mini cupcakes, therefore cooking time would be around 10-15 minutes.

Vanilla Buttercream
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
6-8 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
food coloring, desired amount

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl.  Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla.
2. On medium speed in an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Gradually add the remaining sugar (you may or may not use it all), 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. 
4. Add food coloring and mix thoroughly.  (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.)  Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.