Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Just another recipe I wanted to knock out from my pinterest board. 

The recipe comes from My Baking Addiction and of course her cupcakes look just gorgeous. Thankfully though, the cake came out much better this time than those strawberry cupcakes!

They were light and not too sweet or overly flavorful so I hope they were okay for iftar dessert.   

My sister said they look like soft serve ice cream cones.

See those little black flecks? Vanilla beans are scrumptious and smell so good. The cake has one whole bean and the frosting has one whole bean. I can taste a light vanilla flavor, but I have to say it wasn't extremely flavorful. I think because.... 

 I always use vanilla imitation flavoring with no alcohol. I don't use vanilla extract, which I know tastes better, especially if you are making a vanilla cake. So that is probably why the cake wasn't bursting with flavor. But it was still really good, in fact.... 

This white cake would be a really good wedding cake recipe. It had a good crumb texture but didn't fall apart. It was firm and held its shape well. I was scared but behold, it did not taste like pancakes! It was lightly sweet and would pair really well with fruit puree or filling. Use it with strawberry pie filling and whipped cream and you have the perfect strawberry short cake.  

I got 19 cupcakes out this recipe. The only thing I made changes to was the frosting. I used only 2 sticks butter and 3 cups powdered sugar. It was the first time I used clear imitation vanilla extract (McCormick) to keep the frosting white. I tried the frosting before adding it, and disappointing to say, but the vanilla bean didn't taste like much of anything. Then I added 2 teaspoons of the clear vanilla and it gave it all the flavor. I didn't use any cream or milk. Overall, I liked the frosting, but I should mention it tasted just like birthday cake frosting. Still good, but not the gourmet vanilla bean flavor I was hoping for. I guess it would need an extra vanilla bean for a stronger taste.