Vanilla Cupcakes with Salted Browned Butter Frosting
 
Yield: 12
Ingredients
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon butter extract
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup whole milk
  • 1 recipe Salted Browned Butter Frosting (recipe follows)
  • Garnish: decorative cupcake wrappers and edible wafer paper butterflies*
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Line a 12-well muffin pan with cupcake liners.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar. Beat at high speed with a mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and butter extract, beating until incorporated.
  4. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt, whisking well. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined.
  5. Divide batter among wells of prepared pan. Tap pan on counter-top to level batter and reduce air bubbles.
  6. Bake cupcakes until a wooden pick inserted in the centers comes out clean, approximately 17 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire cooling rack.
  7. Remove cupcakes from pan and place in decorative cupcake wrappers, if desired.
  8. Place Salted Browned Butter Frosting in a piping bag fitted with large open-star tip (Wilton 1M), and pipe a decorative swirl on top of cupcakes.
  9. Garnish each cupcake with an edible wafer paper butterfly, if desired.
Notes
*Wafer paper butterflies and butterfly cupcake wrappers are available from Fancy Flours, 406-587-0118, fancyflours.com. Follow directions given for brushing wafer paper butterflies with corn syrup and letting dry before serving.

*Fine sea salt is important to use for the taste and texture of this frosting. Don’t substitute another salt. If a sweeter, less salty frosting is desired, reduce amount of salt.
Recipe by TeaTime Magazine at https://teatimemagazine.com/vanilla-cupcakes-with-salted-browned-butter-frosting-recipe/