Homemade with LOVE

When Ella got her 13th day of love Valentine treat and it was cupcake liners and sprinkles she knew her and I were in for a special day of baking!

I love to bake and being able to finally include Ella more is super exciting. Although having a toddler help does mean a bit more work on mommy's end.....but it sure is worth it.

For the FIRST time ever I made these cupcakes from scratch. Although a box mix can be easier, these cupcakes turned out so soft and fluffy I don't know if I'll ever go back to the box again!! (I'll include the recipe at the bottom of this post.) I made sure I had all the ingredients ready first. There isn't time to tell your two year old that they have to wait when they have an idea about something in their head.

 It was an extra step but i measured all the dry ingredients into little bowls that would be easier for Ella to pour. First we had to mix the dry ingredients so I had her do that in an extra large bowl so we wouldn't lose any of it!

 Then mommy mixed the eggs, butter and vanilla

Before I know it she'll be able to follow the recipe herself!

 At first she didn't really like the mixer but the more it mixed and changed the batter she enjoyed watching it. Don't you just love that she wanted to wear her little apron since I was wearing mine.

Putting the cupcake liners into the baking pans was another perfect way for Ella to help. I made sure all the liners were set out next to the pans and she took her time placing each one in its own slot. The recipe I found said it would make 15 large cupcakes. Since I wanted some mini ones for Ella I filled the mini liners first and with the extra batter made large ones. I was very surprised that I got all 24 mini cupcakes PLUS 12 large ones!! I didn't fill some of the liners quite full enough so next time I'll probably one get 10 large ones.

By now it was time for lunch and one very reluctant little girl took a break from cupcake baking.

Our cupcakes baked while we ate lunch. Then she napped and I made vanilla icing. I decided to do half the cupcakes pink and the other half white. Once she woke up from nap there was no forgetting that it was time to DECORATE!!!

 Unfortunately the icing hardened a bit and the sprinkles didn't stick very well. Our little dogs Chloe and Tucker didn't mind........they licked them up as fast as they were rolling off the table! But we finished all the cupcakes and one very patient little baker finally got to taste her work.

We certainly did have a great day!!

Perfect Vanilla Cupcake Recipe (borrowed from natashaskitchen.com)

Ingredients for Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups cake flour or Canadian bleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup canola oil (vegetable or extra light olive oil also work)
1/2 cup buttermilk or (According to Glorious Treats, you can substitute the buttermilk with 1/2 cup milk plus 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice- add acid to the milk then set aside for 5 minutes before using)

How to Make the Best Vanilla Cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a cupcake/muffin pan with cupcake liners.
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/4 cups cake flour (or Canadian flour), 1 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Set flour mix aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat 2 eggs with the whisk attachment on medium speed (15-20 seconds).
3. Add 3/4 cup sugar and continue to beat on medium speed (30 seconds).
4. Add vanilla and oil and beat on medium speed (1 minute)
5. Reduce mixer speed to medium/low and slowly add about half of the flour mixture. Add half of the buttermilk, then the rest of the flour mix and the rest of the milk. Beat until just combined and smooth, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl. The batter should be thin.
6. Pour batter into a lined muffin pan. Fill to about 1/2 full.
7. Bake for 12 -14 minutes at 350 degrees F. My oven takes 14 minutes. Let them cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then remove.
* A note about the flour: all-purpose works, it just does won’t produce a cupcake quite as soft as cake flour or Canadian Flour.

I did use cake flour for the first time and will be using this anytime I make cakes/cupcakes from now on!!

You can use any one of your favorite icing recipes to go with these delicious cupcakes.