A Cupcake Weekend

I think sometimes I want to be 8 years old again. Maybe more often then most people should want to be.
Finally this past weekend I could deny myself no longer. I had to have just 1 day of pure kid-infused, messy, sticky goodness.I asked my son if he wanted to bake some cupcakes, more specifically cupcake cones. Remember those? Plain wafer ice cream cones with cupcakes baked right inside of them? Mmmmmm.

So to indulge my kid-esque request Dilan obviously agreed that it was a good idea.
Let me just say that we had such a fun morning. Baking, frosting, making a mess everywhere. I think sometimes when you are so meticulous with food and preparation, you need that "let go" attitude every once and a while. Who cares that the frosting is on the handle of the knife or being licked off all 10 fingers. Who cares that sprinkles have found their way to the table, the floor and maybe the cat's mouth.

We made 2 types of cupcakes, regular and cones. I found an amazing site called "cupcakeblog.com" , which is now closed but still has some of the most amazing recipes I've seen for cupcakes. The recipe yields 24 but I got WAY more then that.
For the frosting we used "mysweetandsaucy.com" favourite vanilla buttercream, which is an adaptation of Elizabeth Faulkner's recipe from Demolition Desserts. From there we also made a chocolate buttercream as well.

My son and I went to our favourite bulk store and bought a million different sprinkles and dragees. Brought them home and separated them into their own little bowls and proceeded to "go to town" on our freshly baked confections. Both of the recipes listed above are foolproof! The cupcakes are moist and rise an incredible amount. The buttercream is sweet, fluffy and shocking-ly white.

Recipe:
Cupcake Cones
makes 24 cupcake ice cream cones / 350 degree oven

2 c + 2 tbsp cake flour
2 c sugar
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 c milk
1/2 c butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

1. Measure out everything but the eggs directly into your mixer bowl
2. Mix on low speed just until incorporated
3. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes
4. Add eggs, beat on high speed again for 2 minutes
5. Transfer batter into a container with a pour spout (like a pyrex measuring cup)
6. Pour batter into ice cream cones, leave a good half inch between the batter and the top of the cone
7. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean

Vanilla Buttercream:
Makes approx. 2 c

4 oz. unsalted softened butter
2 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp whole milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:
1. In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter & salt for about 30 seconds.
2. Add half of the powdered sugar and the milk to the butter and beat again until combined.
3. Scrape down the bowl.
4. Add the rest of the powdered sugar, the vanilla, and the lemon juice and beat until combined. 5. Scrape down the bowl again.
6. Beat on high speed for 5-6 minutes or until the frosting is fluffy.

*Make sure and stir the buttercream well though before using to get the air bubbles out of the frosting. Do not refrigerate!!!! IF you are using the same day then just keep it on the counter. If you plan on using it in the next 3 days put in fridge and take it out about 30 mins before you want to use it. Mix it for 2 -3 mins just to get re-fluffed.