Sweet 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 is 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.
   
• For the richest possible vanilla flavor in these cupcakes, use seeds from 1 vanilla bean plus 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, To collect the seeds, use a small paring knife to cut a vanilla bean in half lengthwise,  and scrape the seeds into a small saucepan, add the cream (or milk if using)  the vanilla pod and vanilla bean paste, give it a quick whisk. Place the saucepan over low-medium heat until just to a boil. Remove from heat cover and let steep for 1 hour if time permits. Otherwise cool to room temp and proceed as directed.
   
• 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Line two 12-cupcake pans with 24 standard-size cupcake liners.
   
• In a bowl sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt, give it a little whisk, and set aside for now! I always sift the flour and baking powder, it just takes a minute or so! Sifting removes any lumps in the flour caused by moisture. After you have sifted the flour and baking powder, the flour is much finer and lump-free, and you can definitely taste the difference in your vanilla cupcakes. 
   
• Place the small pieces of butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or use a bowl and a handheld mixer, beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes. 
   
• Scrape the side and the bottom of the bowl, add the sugar and beat on medium speed until well incorporated and the mixture looks white, light, and fluffy for about 5 minutes. t's super-tempting to turn the mixer on high speed and let it whip the butter and sugar into submission but resist the urge. If you mix on medium-speed instead of high speed. 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.
   
• Scrape the side and the bottom of the bowl. Make sure your eggs 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. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly at medium speed, after each addition, about 30 seconds, It´s important to add them one at a time so that they will completely incorporate into the batter before you add the next egg.
   
•  Reduce the speed to low, at this stage it´s important to mix as slowly and as little as necessary since you don't want to traumatize your batter.
   
• Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter/egg mixture, and slowly add one-third of the cream, beating with just a few pulses on low speed until just incorporated. You want to mix as little as possible so you don’t get the gluten all excited.
   
• Scrape the side and the bottom of the bowl each time, and add another third of the flour mixture, followed by one-third of the cream,(make sure your cream is at room temp, adding cold cream to your perfect whipped butter will ruin the emulsion.) Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed, Add the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining cream, and beat on low speed just until combined. Just 30 seconds each time! 
   
• Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl one more time!
   
• Using a standard-size ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake liner so that it is two-thirds full. If time permits let the cupcake batter rest for 20 minutes before you bake them off, otherwise proceed as directed.
   
• Bake the cupcakes in the center of the oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
   
• Let the sweet vanilla cupcakes cool on a wire rack to cool completely before you decorate the cupcakes.
   
• If you want to bake the sweet vanilla cupcakes in advance, store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature ( never in the fridge) until ready to decorate and serve!

 Angel Feather Icing
 

• Wipe the inside of your bowl and the whisk attachment with a paper towel dampened with a bit of lemon juice to eliminate any trace of grease. Ensure the bowl and beaters are thoroughly clean; even the slightest hint of oil can inhibit the foaming.
   
• Fill a saucepan with 3 cm (1 1/2 inches) of water and place it over medium-low heat.
   
• Bakers Note: For best results, use fresh egg whites. Often, boxed whites don't whip up as well. Ensure you cleanly separate the egg whites from the yolks.
   
• Bakers note: In this recipe I use glucose syrup it is used for shine, smoothness, and a stable texture. If you cannot find glucose syrup, you can use light corn syrup. However, light corn syrup is much sweeter and thicker, which can slightly alter the texture of your icing. So, if you’re aiming for a perfect glossy finish, glucose syrup is the best option.
   
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 100 grams of egg whites, 255 grams of white sugar or superfine sugar, 50 grams of water, 60 grams of glucose, a pinch of cream of tartar, and seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean (if using). Use a clean whisk to make a slurry.
   
• Place the bowl over the steamy water, stirring and constantly scraping with a whisk or spatula until all of the sugar is 100% dissolved. With gently simmering water, the meringue should cook fairly quickly; this step typically takes about 3 minutes. If you find the temperature climbing too slowly, you can increase the heat slightly.
   
• To check if the sugar is dissolved, rub some of the egg white/sugar mixture between your (grease-free) thumb and forefinger. If it doesn't feel grainy, your sugar is dissolved.
   
• Transfer the bowl to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until the mixture is glossy, thick, and has tripled in volume, or until you are satisfied with the consistency of the Angel Feather Icing. This usually takes about 5 minutes.
   
• Colored Angel Feather Icing: At the very end of the beating process, add food coloring (avoid using colour mill) with a toothpick, a little at a time, until you achieve your desired color. Remember: It's always easier to add more color, but you can't remove excess.
   
• For maximum freshness and deliciousness use immediately or on the same day ( humidity or moisture will shorten its shelf life). 
   
• To frost the cupcakes as seen in the photo above, Fit a pastry bag with a plain round tip-larger tips will make bigger swirls tiny tips will make itty-bitty swirls. I use A Wilton 1A nozzle!
  Hold the bag straight up and down, pipe a large swirl starting from the outside of the cupcake, and, moving in a slow-motion, working my way to the center, and gently pulling the bag up and away from the cupcake.
   
• Then using the underside of a large spoon, I put slight pressure on the very top of the swirl and pull the spoon up and away. This creates a well for the sprinkles and gives the cupcake a classic but not-so-perfect look, Top with confetti quins or sprinkles is super cute for a birthday party!
   
• Another cute way to decorate these is by using an ice cream scoop and scoop the frosting on top of each cooled cupcake, for a clean look wash and dry the ice cream scoop between each scoop!
   
• For maximum freshness and deliciousness, serve the frosted cupcakes immediately or on the day they were made.