Cupcake Toppers and Magnolia Cakes

owning a shop is just downright dangerous. we have the CUTEST line of paper party supplies at the shop. kiddo birthday hats, theme birthday kits (wilderness, mermaids and pirates currently) cake toppers, candles and more. one of my favorite pieces of the collection though are these cupcake decorating kits. they make even the simplest cupcake design look bakery fancy. all i used to decorate these bad boys was a star tip for frosting and the spring floral cupcake kit from the found cottage.

per my usual sunday afternoon cravings i needed to bake something. on the agenda was magnolia cupcakes. i had my first one at the original bakery years and years ago in nyc but now luckily can get them in chicago but also at home with the complete magnolia cookbook. seriously has every single recipe ever from magnolia. the cupcakes are a double threat. 1.) the actual cake part (when baked right) is always moist (hate that word) and never dried out. 2.) the frosting…. oh the frosting…. is pretty much pure butter. and delightful. the best thing about these is they are so rich you really can’t have more than one at a time unless you really really push through. which has been done before.

this recipe is adapted slightly from the book. it honestly changes a bit every time based on how things are coming together. mainly the frosting. trust your gut.

ingredients for cake:
1.5 cups self rising flour
1.5 cups all purpose flour
2 sticks of unsalted butter at softened at room temp (pull out about an hour or so before use)
2 cups of sugar
4 eggs at room temp (set out with butter)
1 cup of milk (i used skim)
1 tsp vanilla

ingredients for frosting:
2 sticks of unsalted butter softened at room temp
6-8 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk (i used skim)
2 tsp vanilla

1.) preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line muffin trays with liners. (note: this recipe makes 24). combine your flours and set aside
2.) in your mixer with a paddle attachments beat butter until creamy, add your sugar and mix until fluffy 2-3 minutes. add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated.
3.) add your dry ingredients in three parts alternating with the milk and vanilla. (flour>milk>flour>milk>flour) making sure each is mixed in after each addition. do not over beat though!
4.) fill each cake 3/4 full and bake 20-25 minutes. I have a commercial oven and it needed about 23 minutes. bake until a toothpick comes out clean
5.) let cool in pan about 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack until completely cool.

For the frosting
1.) in an electric mixer with the paddle attachment beat the butter, milk, vanilla and 4 cups of sugar until smooth. gradually add more powdered sugar until it achieves desired consistency. I used all 8 cups.
2.) frost once cupcakes are completely cool. extra frosting can be stored in an air tight container at room temp (do not refrigerate it will separate!) feel free to add some food coloring to make it prettier.