Very Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

A while ago I went on holiday to one of the most beautiful Islands in Madagascar called Ile aux Nattes, on this Island you can buy thick, juicy , plump Madagascan Vanilla Beans for about R1 each, a give away when you can pay up to 30 times that for a very dry flavourless bean back home. I bought two bunches while I was there with our last change intending on coming home and doing a million different thinks with them, making flavoured sugar, cakes, custards and even just like they did on the island, serve it in a savoury sauce with prawns or duck. This did not happen until today when I decided to make cupcakes and once the Vanilla beans were spotted I decided upon Very Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting.

VANILLA BEAN CUPCAKES WITH VANILLA BEAN ICING

Ingredients

Batter:

1.5 cups plain flour (all purpose)

1.5 tsp baking powder

2.5ml salt

125ml unsalted butter at room temp

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

125ml milk (can use 2% if you like) / Buttermilk / Sour Cream

1 tsp vanilla paste (or use one vanilla bean, I used my Vanilla Pods from Madagascar)

Icing:

125ml unsalted butter at room temp

2 cups confectioners sugar

1 tsp vanilla paste or 1 vanilla bean , I used another whole vanilla bean

2-3 tbsp milk

Method

Cupcake batter: Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line cupcake pan with paper cupcake liners.

In a Magimix bowl, combine butter and sugar; cream together until mixture is light and fluffy.

Add eggs, 1 at a time and beat until well combined. In a small bowl stir the milk and vanilla paste or vanilla bean together. Alternately add the flour mixture, then the milk to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, mixing on low speed until combined.

Spoon the batter into the liners, about 2/3 full. Bake cupcakes for around 20 mins (depends on your oven), until the cakes are pale golden and spring back when gently pressed on top.

Cool in the pan for 5 mins then turn onto wire rack.

Icing: In a medium bowl beat the butter until fluffy; add the sifted confectioners sugar and beat until smooth.

Add vanilla paste or bean and enough milk until icing is smooth and creamy (around 5 mins).

Top cooled cupcakes with icing and decorate as desired.

Makes: 12 medium sized cupcakes

Picture and Recipe Copyright by Tamsyn Wells