Bakery Style Vanilla Cupcakes

I was watching sex and the city and was seriously craving a vanilla cupcakes after watching them all eat the famous magnolia bakery vanilla cupcakes! I managed to find this recipe which is actually adapted off the Magnolia Bakery recipe and gave it a go!

Bakery Style Vanilla Cupcakes 

Adapted slightly from Sweetapolita

Vanilla Cupcakes:

3/4 cup self-rising flour

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

115g unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed 

2 large free-range eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla Buttercream Icing:

170g unsalted butter, softened 

2 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted

1 1/2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

few drops of pink food colouring 

Hundreds and Thousands to decorate (optional) 

Preheat oven to 180°c. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake cases. Set aside. 

Mix together the flours and set aside. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar in slowly and continue to beat until fluffy, about 7 minutes. Add the eggs in, 1 at a time making sure to beat well after each addition.

Mix together the milk and vanilla in a small jug. set aside

Add one third of the flour and beat lightly, then add half the milk mixture and beat lightly again until just combined. Continue this process until both flour and milk mixture is incorporated (try not to over beat!).

Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners until a little over 2/3 full. Bake iin the pre-heated oven for 18-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. 

Let the cupcakes cool in the tins before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

For the icing, Beat butter in a stand mixer until pale and fluffy, about 8 minutes on a medium-high speed. Add in the rest of the ingredients, except the food colouring, and beat for a further 5 minutes. Add the colouring and beat until combined. Transfer icing to a piping bad fitted with a 1.5 cm plain circle nozzle tip. Pipe onto the cupcakes and swirl the tops with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle over hundreds and thousands if desired.