My Favorite Best Ever Homemade Cupcakes with Homemade Buttercream and White Chocolate Shards

Post number two on the baby shower food that I catered for my BFF Gena's new arrival. Cupcakes.  They can be a source of great joy at a party but sometimes they can also stress you out. If you have a great recipe, however, that doesn't have to be the case.  Recently I found a really great recipe for scratch yellow cupcakes from Here and I altered it just a bit for these baby shower cupcakes, but they turned out amazing! You can either frost them with fresh whip cream or the buttercream recipe below. Either way, they're killer perfect. 

 My Favorite Best Ever Yellow Cupcakes                                                                                                                                                                

2 ½ cup Texas Pure Milling All Purpose Flour
3 Tbsp. Cornstarch
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter 
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

1 Tbsp. Orange Zest (optional)
1 cup milk

Citrus Infused Buttercream Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla

1 tsp lemon emulsion

1 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. orange emulsion
3-4 Tbsp. hot water

8-12 oz White Chocolate, sharded for garnish

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.  In a small bowl, stir together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla and flavorings. Add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour mixture, mixing on low speed.

Divide batter evenly into prepared cups.

 

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (at least 170°F). Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from baking pan to cooling rack. Cool completely.  

Frosting: In a large bowl, beat remaining Frosting ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until creamy. 

Decorating: Once cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes in a decorative swirl. Arrange shards of white chocolate on the frosting.

There you go!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess