Barefoot Contessa Vanilla Cupcakes Recipes

RED VELVET CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
• In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for 1 minute, until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients alternately in 3 parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and mix until combined. Stir with a rubber spatula to be sure the batter is mixed.
• Scoop the batter into the muffin cups with a 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop or large spoon. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool completely in the pans and frost the cupcakes with Red Velvet Frosting.
• Place the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on medium speed just until combined. Don't whip! Add the sugar and mix until smooth.

COCONUT CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer running on low, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In three parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.
• Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each cup to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely. Frost with Cream Cheese Icing and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S CARROT CAKE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• Beat the sugar, oil, and vanilla together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
• Add the eggs, 1 at a time.
• In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
• With the mixer on low speed, add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
• Add the grated carrots, raisins, and walnuts to the remaining flour, mix well, and add to the batter.
• Mix until just combined.
• Line muffin pans with paper liners.
• Scoop the batter into 22 muffin cups until each is 3/4 full.
• Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350°F and cook for a further 35 minutes (**see note at bottom), until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool on a rack.
• Frosting:.
• Cream the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
• Add the sugar and beat until smooth.
• When the cupcakes are cool, frost them generously and serve.
• **I don't need to cook these for the entire additional 35 minutes. After I lower the temperature to 350°F; I start checking the muffins at around 15 minutes. Just keep watching them until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

COCONUT CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.
• Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.
• Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

INA'S SUPER MOIST COCONUT CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer running on low, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In three parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 3½ oz. of coconut.
• Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each cup to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

EASY VANILLA CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350º. Line muffin pans with paper liners.
• Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.
• Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Fill the cupcake liners to the top with batter. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.
• For the icing, mix the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, mixing just until smooth. Spread or pipe the frosting generously on top of each cupcake.

VANILLA CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to medium low; beat in half of the flour mixture, then all of the milk, then the remaining flour mixture until just combined.
• Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes to the rack to cool completely. Top with Frosting.
• Whisk the egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water) until the mixture is warm and the sugar dissolves. Remove the bowl from the pan; let cool slightly.
• Beat the egg white mixture in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or with a hand mixer) on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 12 to 15 minutes. Beat in the butter a few pieces at a time, then continue beating until smooth. (Don't worry if the mixture looks separated at first-it will come together as you keep beating.)

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with 14 or 15 paper liners.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In a third bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the buttermilk and flour mixtures alternately in thirds, beginning with the buttermilk and ending with the flour. Don't overmix! Fold the batter a few times with a rubber spatula to be sure it's mixed.
• Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners. (I use a 2-inch ice cream scoop.) Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the evaporated milk, brown sugar, and egg yolks and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 15 minutes, until slightly thickened. If the mixture looks a bit curdled, beat it vigorously with a whisk. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla extract, almond extract, coconut, almonds, pecans, and salt. Allow to cool for about an hour. Frost the cupcakes with a knife or small metal spatula.

TRADITIONAL INA GARTEN BIRTHDAY CAKE WITH VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• The first thing we need to do is to preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare the pans we are going to use. We need either 2 9 inch cake pans or, if you wanted the more traditional look, 1 9 inch pan, 1 6 inch pan and 1 3 inch pan. This way, the cake will taper towards the top, looking like a small castle.
• To prepare them, butter and flour them so that it is easier to take the cake out once they are done. You could also line them with parchment paper if you prefer.
• Now to make the cake. Grab the room temperature butter and place it in a large mixing bowl with the sugar. With the help of a stand or hand mixer, cream it until fluffy on high speed with a paddle attachment. This will take approximately 5 minutes.
• Reduce the speed to medium and proceed to add the eggs in batches. We recommend no more than 2 at a time. Then mix thoroughly.
• Add in the sour cream, the vanilla extract, and the lemon zest.
• Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda together to avoid any lumps and have an even mix.
• Add in the dry ingredients slowly, making sure there is no powder splash. Continue to mix after you have incorporated all of it. You will know it is done once you scrape the sides and can tell there are no butter or flour pockets in it.
• Once your batter is ready, you will need to divide it proportionately into the cake pans. If you have a scale, this will be much easier, but one way to get the measurements right with weighting is the following.
• You can, first, divide the batter into two equal parts. One of these you will need to pour into the 9-inch cake mold. Remember they need to be buttered and floured or have some sort of parchment paper lining.
• You will be left with half the batter. You must then divide this into 3 equal parts. Use one of these for the 3-inch cake pan and the other 2 for the 6-inch cake pan. See? Very easy!
• Smoothe the tops of the batter with a spatula before baking. This will help so that there is not so much of a round top to be cut off the cakes before stacking them.
• As you could have imagined, they will need different baking times as the pans are different sizes. The 9-inch will take approximately 45 minutes to be done. The 6-inch, 35 to 40 and the 3-inch 30 minutes.
• Always check them a little bit before they are due and only take them out once a stick or knife comes out clean from the center.
• Cool the pans to room temperature before unmolding them and then let them rest top sides down on a cooling rack until they are completely cool. You could even, if you have enough space, place them in the fridge. This will make it easier to frost them, cut them and stack them.
• Now let's move on to the frosting. Go back to your electric or hand mixer and cream the butter for a few minutes.
• Once it is light and fluffy in texture, sift in the powdered sugar slowly while still mixing on low. Also, add the vanilla extract.
• Check the consistency. If it is too stiff, add in milk slowly to adjust it and make it just right. This depends on the temperature and humidity of your kitchen, so the quantities are just estimates.
• Set aside a quarter of the frosting and add food coloring as you desire. For a traditional look, we recommend you further divide this into 3 and use a bit of yellow, blue and red to make pastel colors.
• Once everything is done and the cakes are cool, check to see if their tops are level. If they are not, you will need to adjust them with a serrated knife before stacking them.
• Cut them into halves and place buttercream between them. Then stack them all together. You can chill the cake for a few hours at this point.
• Crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting before proceeding to actually frost it. This will help the buttercream stay smooth and look amazing. Then pipe in some decorations as you see fit.

YELLOW SOUR CREAM CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350° and insert paper liners in muffin tins.
• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add eggs two at a time on medium speed of electric mixer.
• Add sour cream and vanilla.
• Sift together dry ingredients and with mixer on low speed, add to the butter mixture.
• Mix just until combined.
• Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool to room temperature on a wire rack.
• For icing, mix together butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla at low speed of electric mixer until smooth.
• Spread frosting generously on each cupcake.

BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended. Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.

FLOWER CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pans with paper liners.
• Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.
• Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Fill the cupcake liners to the top with batter. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.
• For the icing, mix the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, mixing just until smooth. Spread the frosting generously on top of each cupcake.

PB&J STUFFED CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
• Beat the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment at medium speed until creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then, beat in the vanilla.
• Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In three additions, beat the flour mixture into the creamed butter mixture, alternating with additions of the milk, starting and ending with flour.
• Divide the batter evenly into the paper liners, filling them two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting.
• For the peanut butter frosting: Beat the butter and peanut butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment at medium speed until creamy. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth. Add the milk, vanilla and salt, and beat until smooth and spreadable. Spoon the frosting into a pastry bag or zip-top bag fitted with a star tip.
• To finish the cupcakes, cut a small cylinder out of the center of each cupcake with a knife or cupcake corer, reserving the cake circles for another use. Spoon the grape jelly into a pastry bag and pipe a small amount into each hole. Pipe the frosting on top of each cupcake and decorate with purple sprinkles.