Very Vanilla Cupcakes
Dan: 
Serves: 24 Cupcakes
 
Very Vanilla Cupcakes (Classic Yellow Cupcakes) Makes 22-24 standard cupcakes
Ingredients
  • 9 ounces cake flour
  • 9 ounces granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking POWDER
  • ½ teaspoon baking SODA
  • ¾ teaspoons salt
  • 8 ounces buttermilk (at room temp)
  • 3 large eggs (at room temp)
  • 1.5 ounces vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or bourbon vanilla extract
  • 6 ounces unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
  1. Preheat conventional oven to 375 degrees. Line standard cupcake trays with liners.
  2. Weigh the dry ingredients into your mixer bowl. Set aside.
  3. Weigh the buttermilk and oil into a large measuring cup. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk the mixture to break up the egg, set aside.
  4. With the mixer running on low, slowly add chunks of softened butter to the dry ingredients.
  5. Allow the mixer to run on low until the mixture looks crumbly/sandy and a handful of the mixture holds together when clumped in your hands. No visible chunks of butter should remain.
  6. With the mixer still on low, slowly add ⅓ of the wet mixture to the dry.
  7. Raise the mixer to medium high (Kitchenaid speed 6) and allow it to beat for 2 minutes.
  8. Now scrape the bowl and beater and beat another 20 seconds. Add half the reaming egg mixture and mix on low.
  9. Scrape bowl and add remainder of mixture, mixing just until combined. Scrape bowl and fold in any remaining egg mixture.
  10. Portion batter into lined trays. Bake for 5 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake another 15-18 minutes, until tops are lightly browned and a toothpick interested into several cupcakes comes out with MOIST CRUMBS.
  11. Remove from oven, cool about 2 minutes then remove the cupcakes from the pan to a cooling rack.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Artisan Cake Company.

-This recipe is formulated by weight. You must use a scale that provides accurate measures, preferably digitally. Baking by weight is the only way to ensure correctly balanced recipes that provide even results. You will notice that even the buttermilk and oil are by weight; place a measuring cup/bowl on your scale, zero it out and then pour in the liquids to the correct weight.
-Use only true cake flour. Do not attempt to make substitute cake flour.
-Use only true buttermilk. Do not attempt a substitute. Store bought buttermilk contains cultures, much like yogurt, which contribute to the moisture of the finished cupcakes.
-Butter should be softened but not greasy.
-This cake is mixed using the reverse-creaming, or two stage method. The dry ingredients are placed in the mixer bowl and the butter is slowly added with the mixer running. This allows the fat to coat the flour particles so that when liquids are added the formation of gluten is mostly inhibited.
- We start our cupcakes 25 degrees hotter then the average baking temperature. This gives the cupcakes an initial 'lift' & counters the initial heat loss when you open your oven.
Recipe by Baking With Dan at https://www.bakingwithdan.com/veryvanillacupcakes/