So, about two weeks ago I watched a documentary called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead; without going into too much drawn out detail it’s about a man who goes on a juice fast, which I found to be quite intriguing. Getting to the point, I decided I would give my body a little break and go on a juice fast of my own, which may sound a little crazy but I feel like, for me, the health benefit is worth it. Now, the reason I am telling you all of this is because it is extremely difficult for me, a true food lover, to go without eating all of the delicious foods I love. I usually cruise the internet every couple of days for new recipes and make sure to keep up with my favorite websites and blogs, however that is completely impossible for me right now. I am going to try and make it through writing this post without licking my screen, but my memories of this cupcake may make that impossible.

These vanilla cupcakes are slightly dense, somewhere in between a pound cake and a regular cake, and they have a nice almond undertone. And the icing, oh the icing, it’s rich and delicious and quite addicting. I’m quite glad I don’t have any of these in front of me because I am pretty sure my juice fast would turn into a cupcake fast (hey, that doesn’t sound like such a bad idea!). So in effort to keep my screen and keyboard drool free I’ll end here, enjoy 🙂

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes   (Print Me)

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoons almond extract
1 whole vanilla bean, split length-wise and seeds reserved
4 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups milk

For the Vanilla Almond Buttercream:
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 vanilla bean, split length-wise and seeds reserved
1 teaspoons almond extract

Directions:
For the cupcakes:
Preheat your oven to 350º. Line cupcake pans with liners and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, mixing well. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using an electric hand mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy (about two minutes). Slowly add in the granulated sugar, almond extract, and vanilla bean seeds and mix until well-combined (about 2 more minutes). Add the egg yolks, and mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour and milk mixtures alternatively (start and end with the flour mixture) to the mixing bowl at low speed, mixing until the flour is just combined.

Evenly distribute the batter among the prepared baking pans. Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes total (or until toothpick comes out clean), rotating the pans halfway during the baking time. Transfer cupcakes to cooling rack and let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

For the buttercream frosting:
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using an electric hand mixer, beat the butter at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce your mixer speed to low and gradually add the confectioners’ sugar slowly, making sure to frequently increase the speed of the mixer for about 10 seconds increments to aerate the frosting. Add the vanilla bean seeds and almond extract, mix well until frosting is smooth and creamy.

Source: The Curvy Carrot