Now that I have your attention with the cupcakes, relax and let me tell about my last three weeks :)
We were very fortunate to be able to take a short vacation to Southern California with good friends at the end of February where we enjoyed a little golf, hiking and relaxation. With all the rain they've had in California prior to our trip, everything was so lush and green! Even though the temps were slightly cooler than we would have liked, it was perfect weather for golf, hiking and scenic drives. I was a very happy gal to be able to golf for the first time after breaking my wrist last summer. And there were flowers! For a gardener from the Midwest, they were a sight for sore eyes.
In the photo below, you can see a few shots of the Scenic 'Palms to Pines' drive we took on Highway 74 near Palm Desert. The view from the lookout point was so beautiful that it was worth my white knuckles as we drove the steep hair-pin turns!
While golfing one day, we witnessed a crazy golf cart accident on the hole right next to us which you can also see below. Someone tipped over a golf cart while driving on a hill. Luckily, no one was injured (except for their pride, I'm sure). The cart landed nose up with the rear sinking into a drainage hole trapping their golf clubs.
The weekend after we returned home, we took care of our grandsons the entire weekend while our daughter and son-in-law enjoyed a special birthday weekend away. We tag-teamed with our son-in-law's parents. We took care of the baby on Friday through Saturday afternoon and they took the big boys. Saturday afternoon we met them and switched the baby for the two oldest boys for the rest of the weekend. It worked out really well, but after traveling and babysitting we definitely needed a few days to recuperate :)
It was while my grandsons were here last weekend that I made them these wonderful vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. The big boys loved them! The baby had less messy treats :)
Has this ever happened to you after cleaning your pastry bag and tips? The garbage disposal is not very kind to them. I guess I was a little tired :)
Watching my boys enjoy their cupcakes was worth it!
And, there's nothing a few flowering primulas can't cure ♥
Old Fashioned Yellow Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Printable RecipeYield: About 12 cupcakes
8 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar (use ultra fine, if possible)
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon (1/2 + 1/4) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk
Preheat oven to 350F
Place cupcake liners in muffin tin and spray lightly with non-stick spray.
In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition, scraping down sides of bowl. Mix in vanilla and almond flour. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk. Beat on medium speed for two minutes. Pour into prepared cupcake liners.
Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing cupcakes from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
Vanilla Buttercream Icing
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
A few drops of food coloring, if desired
In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with an electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk.
Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar.
I used a large, Wilton 1M Pastry Tip to pipe the frosting (you will need the Large Coupler for your piping bag) and I sprinkled the tops with Swedish Pearl Sugar.
Adapted from Williams Sonoma’s Heritage Cake Recipe (1/2 recipe), and Betty Crocker's Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
53 comments:
Hi Susan, sounds like life has been rich and full. I completely understand the type of tired after watching the grandkids, lol. These cupcakes are a thing of beauty, love the beautiful green color.
Hi dear Susa, the cupcakes look beautiful and love yours grandsons are really cute!
Nice to see you again. Nice pictures too!
What handsome grandsons! How blessed to have a grandmother who bakes! It had to have been fun to get away and to golf again after that time out you had. Crazy drivers everywhere in parking lots and golf courses.
Indeed it was and all in a good way! After California, I needed a little more green 🌴 Thank you, Cheri!
Thank you, Gloria 💕
Thank you, Vee! We are blessed to share time with them 😍
You are a great grandmother, Susan. These cupcakes look very inviting with that beautifully piped frosting.
I'm jealous of your spending time with your grandsons, Susan -- every chance I get, I try and cook with them. (They love it, but Grandpa would like them to enjoy more "manly" things!) You've had a busy few weeks! California looks wonderful.
Your grandsons are adorable! So handsome :) I'm very sure they loved these beautiful cupcakes. What a great idea to tag team with the in-laws. I babysit one of my granddaughters every Monday. She will turn 1 in just another week. But at the end of the day after crawling on the floor, I'm always exhausted! I feel blessed however, to have this regular time to build a bond and she is just like her dad was at that age - so there are those wonderful memories. The photos are gorgeous and so happy you had a nice getaway. I never did pick up golf but my father was a regular. Have a terrific weekend and thanks for the smiles today.
Thank you, Angie! I'm not a very good cake decorator but the large pastry tip makes it easier :)
We are lucky that they live in the same metro area and can see them as often as we do. My husband wants to teach them golf, of course ;) Thank you, Rosemary!
Thank you, Tricia! We babysat our first grandson every Monday until he started preschool too :) Special times!
They just get more and more handsome Susan..you know it's so funny..in the sunroom I have many...well not many but enough plants especially since the Pointsettias are STILL like new..oy..I like them..but in March..anyway..on the table I have a little greenhouse type thing and yesterday I thought..get some violets..or primulas:) And here you are..that golf cart incident..what a nose dive indeed!
I too love thos California poppies..and the cupcakes are adorable..Susan..Bo has changed so much..flies by..
lol the piping tip:)At least it wasn't your camera;)
Are more and more fun :) Bo is getting to be such a big boy too - almost 14 months and ready to start walking very soon. I am so flower-starved right now! I love when primulas start being available this time of year. You need some ♥
I keep mine alive and plant them in the garden in May :) Some have returned!
Your California trip sounds amazing, Susan. I can only imagine how lush and green it was. I bet you could smell the scent of those gorgeous flowers in the air! I'm so happy you got to play golf and things are getting back to normal after your accident. I bet those cupcakes were gone in a flash, classic yellow cake is my favorite. Thanks for sharing your recipe! :)
Hi Susan, your California trip sounds awesome! The boys look like they loved the cupcakes!
welcome back Susan, I'm glad to know you enjoyed your vacation in South California, your pics are wonderful, the cupcakes look so delicious ,the smile of your little boy is so charming, he will be a heartthrob !
Who can resist these, they look marvelous and I'm sure your grandkids gobbled them up then had fun showing you their green teeth!
Will look for some😌
oooh, your trip to the Palms Dessert is making me crave SoCal once more... and those cupcakes... I love the simplicity and the joy they bring!
Grandboys are darling Susan. I know they must have loved the cupcakes. So glad you got a break from the winter weather and love your spring plants! I am thinking of bringing some geraniums home with me from Florida because they will not be available in our area until May. Fun post. Love your legs golf pose.
It's always hard to come back home to reality and a snow storm beginning tonight :( Thank you, Marcelle!
It was awesome but nothing like the trips you take, Jasline! Thank you!
Thank you, Chiara :) He is such a happy boy!
They really enjoyed them and their green teeth - LOL. Thanks, Vicki!
We love the climate and it is a golfer's paradise! Thank you, Dom!
Thank you, Penny! What a great idea to bring home some geraniums. Our garden centers usually open the end of April or 1st of May also. I can't wait! That's me in the white shorts ;)
I think you made three little boys extremely happy with those beautiful cupcakes. I know I'd be.
Beautiful! I don't think there's anything better than a perfect, classic yellow cake ~ and the green buttercream is fabulous!
I'm think I like the faces of those boys, more than the cupcakes. My mom never made cupcakes and they always seem so special to me. As does that trip. Love the flowers and glad you ae feeling better.
Woo hoo! Sounds like you've been having a great time! I saw a golf cart tip over once on the golf course, no one injured but it didn't end up like that one. Scary! Love the flowers, sure beats the snow we got this morning! And 'your' boys are adorable with the cupcakes. They're Bill's fave cupcake!
They were very happy :) Thank you, Linda!
You're right. Yellow cake is what both my mother and my MIL used to make also. 'Old Fashioned' :) Thanks, Sue!
I know! My mother never made cupcakes either, not that I think of it. Lots of cakes but never cupcakes. Thank you, Abbe!
Thank you, Pam! It sure would be nice to still be there. We have about 7-8 inches of fresh snow on the ground right now and no flowers in sight outdoors :)
I would eat 10 of those if I could!!!!!
Sue, let me tell you - besides your cupcakes look professionally done,(which I could never make mine look that good) I bet those boys had a ball with you all weekend long- and what a treat for grandma and the kids! I can't wait to spend a week with mine while the kids travel to Italy (in 2 weeks)! BTW, you have beautiful grandsons!! Have a great week!
These cupcakes look awesome Susan...and I love the pictures of the boys eating the cupcake...so cute...the baby is adorable.
I am so sorry about your tips...and yes, this happened quite often here...
I hope you are having a nice week :)
I would too :) Thanks, Gigi!
I am definitely not a good decorator but the large piping tips make it easier. Have fun with your grands!! Thanks, Ladies :)
Glad I'm not the only one who loses them in the sink :) Thank you, Juliana!
Beautiful cupcakes! Your grandchildren are adorable boys!
I'm so envious of the cool weather! We could do with some cool days over here!
Thank you, Joyce! We had a fun weekend together :)
You could have titled this the good, the bad and the ugly. Your trip sounds nice as well as the time spent with your grand kids even if it was a little tiring. The poor driver will never live down the story with the golf cart. And the decorating tip…oh no but it could make for some interesting frosting designs.
I bet your grandson's loved these fun cupcakes! They are perfect for St. Patrick's Day with their green frosting.
Good one, Karen! Your made me laugh :)
Thank you, Amy! I honestly didn't even think of St. Patrick's Day when I frosted them - I just wanted a color that looked 'springy' and not too 'girly' for my boys ;)
Super tag team idea! Bet the kids thought it fun, too.
And it looks as though the boys loved your cupcakes!
Cringed at your pastry bag tip all bent. Just made my gruyere thumbprints for 80 people and the rosemary kept clogging the tip...had no chopped it fine enough. What a mess.
Thank you, Barbara :) Your Gruyere thumbprints sound wonderful, in spite of the tip clogging!
What a lovely place for a vacation. I love that fun golfing photo. And the cupcakes, of course.
Amalia
xo
They look just the perfect little thing for the cuties there! I love the color of the frosting!
This is the perfect size recipe for not having too many cupcakes in the house. As it is, I must get some out of the house so that I don't eat them all. Wonder how they freeze. I enjoyed baking these this afternoon and noted only one small error that was not enough to put me off. You describe the almond extract as almond "flour" at one point. I even enjoyed practicing my piping skills, which need some serious practice. Thanks again for this recipe, Susan.
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