Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

My dad and his family gave me the Magnolia Bakery cookbook for the holidays and I still haven't made anything from it. Today I thought I would give it a try and make their vanilla cupcakes. I was originally going to make chocolate ones, but after the baci di dama yesterday a little bit of vanilla is necessary. I frosted them with chocolate, though, so I didn't go all out vanilla.

There are two ideas about the origins of cupcakes. One is that the name is similar to the pound cake, meaning that there is a cup of sugar, cup of flour, and a cup of butter in the cake. Another theory is that they were originally baked in clay cups that were individual portions. Cupcakes date back to 18th century England and the "Queen Cakes", little individual sized pound cakes.

It was fun to make a childhood favorite and to decorate them with Xochi. We really wanted to get these silver decorating balls, but they were ten dollars. So. we resorted to stars and tiny colorful balls. The frosting is really rich, but oh so delicious! Also, I split the recipe in half because I definitely did not need 2 dozen cupcakes!

Vanilla Cupcakes

1 1/2 cup cups self rising flour (No need to buy this. Use 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt per cup of all-purpose flour. Sift it together, and you are done!)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

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

3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the butter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter unto the cupcake lines, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

4. Cool the cupcakes for 15 minutes in the tines. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 Tablespoons milk
9 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cool to lukewarm (see Note)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 sifted confectioners' sugar

Note: To melt the chocolate, place in a double broiler over simmering water on low heat for about 5-10 minutes. Stir occasionally until completely smooth and no pieces of chocolate remain. Remove from heat and let cool for 5-15 minutes, or until lukewarm.

In a large bowl, on medium speed of an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the milk carefully and beat until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and beat well, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat for 3 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat on low speed until creamy and of desired consistency.