Beloved vanilla cupcakes are upgraded for the season with the citrus notes of cardamom and a generous swirl of Browned Butter Frosting.
Cardamom-Vanilla Cupcakes with Browned Butter Frosting
Makes 24
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ cup whole milk
- Browned Butter Frosting (recipe follows)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 24-well mini muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar with a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract until incorporated.
- In another large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined. Divide batter evenly among wells of prepared muffin pan. Tap pan on counter-top to level batter and reduce air bubbles.
- Bake cupcakes until a wooden pick inserted in the centers comes out clean, approximately 17 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Gently remove cupcakes from pan.
- Place Browned Butter Frosting in a piping bag fitted with a large open-star tip (Wilton #1M). Pipe a rosette of frosting on top of each cupcake. Serve immediately, or place in an airtight container, refrigerate, and serve within 2 days. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Notes
MAKE-AHEAD TIP: Cupcakes can be baked a day in advance and frosted just before serving.
Browned Butter Frosting
Makes approximately 4½ cups
Ingredients
- 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened
- 5 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 vanilla bean pods, split, scraped, and seeds reserved
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat until it foams. Using a rubber spatula, scrape bottom of pan to keep butter from burning so butter will brown evenly. (Reduce heat, if necessary.) Let butter foam a second time. Stir, watching carefully so butter does not burn, until butter is a deep golden yellow and has a nutty aroma.
- Transfer browned butter to a heatproof bowl, and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until butter becomes solid but soft enough to cream with a mixer.
- In a large bowl, beat chilled browned butter with a mixer at medium speed until smooth, approximately 2 minutes. Beat in sugar at low speed until fluffy. Beat in reserved vanilla bean seeds and salt. Gradually add cream, beating until combined. With mixer at high speed, beat frosting until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Use immediately.
