Vanilla Cupcakes
 

• The temperature of your butter is often the key to proper mixing. If your butter is too cold, it won’t whip up light enough; but if it’s too soft, it can’t hold enough air to leave a cupcake. You will know it’s right if it is soft but still holds its shape when you pick it up. If the butter droops or your finger melts right into it, it’s too soft.  If you can easily press your fingers into the butter, it's too cold. Cutting the butter into small pieces will help to warm faster too.
   
• Make sure your eggs and heavy cream are at room temp; You don’t want to add cold eggs or cold cream to perfectly whipped butter or the butter will seize and you’ll lose the fluffy air you created. If your eggs are not at room temperature when you are ready to mix your cupcake batter, warm them in the shell by placing the eggs in a bowl of hot tap water for 5 minutes before starting this recipe.
   
• Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Line two 12-cup muffin pans with standard-size cupcake liners and set them aside. 
   
• In a large bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour and baking powder; sifting the dry ingredients together not only eliminates lumps but also evenly distributes the leavening agent's trough out, giving you more fluffy cupcakes. Add the superfine sugar and whisk together. Set aside for now.
   
• Add the small pieces of room-temperature butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or use the paddle attachment instead. It's super-tempting to turn the mixer on high speed and let it whip the butter but resist the urge. If you mix on medium speed instead. You’ll get smaller air bubbles in the mixture; these will be stronger and create a far superior cupcake texture. It may take some extra minutes, but the cupcake will be worth it.
   
• Mix the butter on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy; this takes about 4 to 5 minutes. Make sure to stop the mixer at times and take time to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl, and also shake out the butter that collects inside your whisk as well. For this cupcake recipe, it is so important to take the time to properly cream the butter. Do not rush through this process. This process will give you a tender and velvety vanilla cupcake.
   
• As soon as the butter is properly creamed, add the flour /sugar mixture, all of the eggs, vanilla bean paste, and cream to the creamed butter mixture.
  With the mixer on the lowest setting, beat slowly for only → 10 seconds. You want to mix as little as possible so you don’t get the gluten all excited.
   
• Stop the mixer scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl again, and shake out the batter that collects inside your whisk as well. Attach the whisk attachment again.
   
• With the mixer on the lowest setting ( with about 10 high-speed pulses in between), mix until well incorporated and until all traces of egg have disappeared but not more than → 20 seconds altogether. You want to mix as little as possible so you don’t get the gluten all excited.
   
• Remove the bowl from the mixer. Use your spatula, and scrape the side and bottom of the bowl to incorporate any dry ingredients that may have settled there. Combine with your spatula. 
   
• Scoop the batter into prepared pans using a standard-size ice cream scoop, filling about 3⁄4 full.
   
• If time permits, let the batter rest for → 20 minutes, it makes for better vanilla cupcakes. ( optional) otherwise, proceed as directed.
   
• Bake the cupcakes in the center of the oven for 20-23 minutes or until a cake tester/toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
   
• Let them cool in their pans for a few minutes, then quickly remove the cupcakes from their pans and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before filling/frosting.
   
• If not used right away, Store your Cupcakes in a cake box loosely covered with plastic wrap for up to 1-2 days at room temperature.
  Because of the cupcake contains butter, I do not recommend storing these cupcakes in the fridge as the butter will harden your vanilla cupcakes.
   
• Without frosting, these cupcakes can be re-heated in the microwave for a few seconds and will give you a warm and delicious vanilla cupcake just as they come straight from the oven. 
  
   

Directions for the Marshmallow frosting

• Pour about 4 cm ( 2- inches ) of water into a medium saucepan and place over medium heat.
   
• Wipe your mixer bowl, your whisk of an electric mixer, and your hand whisks with a paper towel dampened with a little lemon juice to eliminate any trace of grease.
   
• Separate the egg whites from the yolks.
   
• Place your egg whites, sugar, water, glucose (or light corn syrup), and a pinch of cream of tartar ( or a few drops of lemon juice) into a heatproof metal or glass bowl.
  Whisk the ingredient together to make a thick slurry.
   
• Place the metal/glass bowl over the pan of simmering water ( make sure the pp is small enough that the bowl sits above the water and not directly touching it, or you may end up with scrambled egg whites.
   
•  Whisk occasionally until the mixture is very hot to the touch, about 50C°/122F° has the color of milk, and the sugar is completely dissolved. The mixture should not feel grainy when rubbed between your fingers.
   
• Scrape the sugar-egg white mixture into a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. ( be careful the mixture is hot) 
   
• Whip on medium-high speed for 5-7 minutes or until the mixture has tripled in volume and is thick and glossy, and looks like shaving cream.
   
• Add vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract and a drop of food color of your choice, and whip on low speed until just combined. 
   
• Make sure to not over-whip the marshmallow frosting, it can get pretty thick and stiff if you overmix it.
   
• Use immediately to frost your beautiful cupcakes or cakes.
   
• Use immediately to frost your beautiful cupcakes.
   
• Fit a pastry bag with a Wilton #1B piping tip ( or another tip of your choice) and half fill with the marshmallow frosting.
   
• Pipe swirls on top of each cupcake, enjoy immediately.