Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Makes 2 Dozen

Special Supplies:

**Cupcake Liners, we used Wilton White

**Muffin/cupcake tins/pans

**1 to 7 Piping Bags and 1 to 7 tips, star type

** St. Patrick’s Rings found on Amazon

*Wilton Gold Sprinkles

Optional: Food Colorings see below

Optional: Air Head Xtremes Rainbow strips or bites

*Preheat oven 325*F.

Cupcake Ingredients:

*1 cup Cake Flour, sift and then measure
*1\2 cup White Wheat Pastry Flour, sift and then measure
*2 and 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
*1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
*1 cup Butter, room temperature
*1 and 1/2 cups Sugar
*4 Eggs, room temperature
*1 cup canned Evaporated Milk
*1 tablespoon Vanilla Bean Paste or 1 Vanilla Bean Seeds, seeds removed from bean (add vanilla bean paste/seeds to the milk)

Directions:

*In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together on medium speed the butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Then add one egg at a time, beating between each one until all are incorporated.

*In a mixing bowl sift together the cake flour, wheat pastry flour and baking powder. Then gradually add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, on medium low speed and alternating with the milk and vanilla mixture in thirds just until combined.

*Line cupcake tins with liners and scoop the batter until 2/3 full into each cup.

*Bake in an 325*F. oven for 25-30 minutes or using a toothpick inserted to the middle of the cupcake comes out clean or spring back when touched.

*Remove cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool on cooling racks until completely cool and pipe or frost as pictured or as desired.

Frosting

1/4 cup Cream Cheese (2 ounces)

2 and 1/4 sticks butter, almost room temperature

6 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream

1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

Pinch of sea salt or to taste

**Optional Food Colorings: We used Wilton: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple for rainbows shown below, using Air Heads Xtreme Candy Rainbow bits for decoration on top.

**Piping bags, closed star tip and small hole piping tip or star open tip as desired. Note: You will need 7 pastry bags plus 7 tips. We used Wiltons.

Directions:

In a stand mixer with paddle attachment beat the butter and cream cheese 2 to 3 minutes until a light yellow color on medium speed.

Then gradually add powdered sugar alternate with whipping cream, mixing in on medium low speed.

Add vanilla and salt, taste and adjust as needed to your taste. Beat frosting another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove bowl from mixer and stir for a minute to remove air bubbles.

Note: Divide frosting into 7 bowls if you want to make the rainbow cupcake colors or leave the frosting all white and then sprinkle with Gold Sprinkles for ring cupcakes. Note: For Coloring frosting start with a few drops of coloring and add more until desired colors are achieved. Repeat for each bowl of frosting.

See Rainbow Treats Party for more recipes

Enjoy!

Lindy