Friday, July 30, 2010

Because Yellow is my Favorite



My son has an unnatural obsession with yellow. I realize each child has his or her own set of nuances, but this is almost out of control. I believe it started a few years ago (he’s almost 4) when he decided he wanted to be a school bus driver. And so the school bus craze began.

We have a motorized riding school bus, several school bus toys and even a conductor’s hat that we’ve deemed appropriate attire for his school bus driving ensemble. After all these toys were purchased, he all of the sudden decided that no, he did not want to be a school bus driver anymore.

He wanted to be yellow.

Huh?

Me: “Jack, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

Jack: “Yellow.”

Me: “You know yellow is a color, right? You can’t be YELLOW when you grow up.”

Jack: “But I want to. Yellow’s my favorite.”

Well, okay then. Yellow, it is.

I say all this because whenever I make a treat for him of any kind, I make it yellow.  He gets so excited, I just can't help myself.  It's the little things, isn't it?

This is a recipe I got from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody. If you've never been to her site, you will spend hours there - I promise! She consistently amazes me with all her creative treats, and her eye for food photography inspires me. Her stories are interesting, honest and thoughtful - and really funny.  Check her website out.  You will not be disappointed!

Magnolia Vanilla Cupcakes
Adapted from More from Magnolia by Allysa Torey, via Culinary Concoctions by Peabody


1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature (VERY important!)

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

ICING:

Vanilla Buttercream (recipe below)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter until smooth with electric mixer on medium speed.. Gradually add the sugar and mix until fluffy, roughly 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time.  Beat well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients gradually (in three parts), alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Make sure and scrape down the batter in the bowl to get all the ingredients blended. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely before icing.

Vanilla Buttercream Icing

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

6 to 8 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla.  Beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes, on medium speed with mixer. Gradually add the remaining sugar, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. Keep in mind, you may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly.

PS - What is better than one of these?

TWO.


*** Side Note.  Please be aware that I'm not only new to blogging, baking and cooking, but I'm also new to taking food pictures.  I hope this blog will eventually show some improvement!!!

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