Happy National Vanilla Cupcake Day! It’s been vanilla madness at the Cake Merchant residence this week, so really, everyday has felt like Vanilla Cupcake Day. In preparation for a charity event that I am baking for this Sunday, I wanted to find the perfect vanilla cupcake recipe. I had some friends over for a tasting party last week, and they all loved this cupcake. In fact, no one could tell it was from a mix.

This recipe is a take on what is originally known as White Almond Sour Cream Cake. I upped the vanilla flavor by replacing the sugar with vanilla sugar, which I received as a Christmas gift last year. If you’ve never experienced vanilla sugar, you can find a description and tutorial on how to make it here. Regular sugar will work if you don’t want to make vanilla sugar. I also replaced the vanilla extract with vanilla bean paste (and added a little extra), which I’ve been doing a lot lately. I just really love seeing the flecks of vanilla beans in the cake and frosting, but a good vanilla extract will work just fine. The original recipe also calls for almond extract, which I think just enhances the flavor (and doesn’t make the cupcake taste like almond), but you can leave it out if you prefer.

Read The Post

I’ve been on a bit of a salted caramel kick lately. And by a bit, I mean I have been making several batches of it and eating spoonfuls right out of the jar. In an effort to break my addiction, I used up some of the caramel sauce to make the buttercream that frosts these cupcakes. Somehow, I’ve just taken the addiction to a new level.

The only thing better than salted caramel is combining it with a chocolate cupcake. And then topping it with more salted caramel. If you’re feeling adventurous, you could fill it with some more caramel sauce.

I used this recipe for salted caramel sauce. It makes more than you will need for a batch of the frosting, so feel free to be liberal with the drizzling.

Read The Post