Vanilla cupcakes with cocoa cream cheese frosting

I really like a good dinner party, either hosting it or being a guest. Hosting it is fun because you can plan out the menu (something that I really enjoy), set a beautiful table, mix a special welcome drink and being a girl, find a pretty dress and do my hair. And luckily for me, I have a boyfriend who also really enjoys hosting a dinner party, so we have people over for dinner, more or less fancy every now and then.

But I really like to be a guest as well. To just relax, find a pretty dress, a cute hostess gift and enjoy an evening out with great friends.

We had one of those evenings a few weeks ago with amazing food (the host is a professional chef, score!) good friends and as always- wonderful wine and lots of laughs. I was asked to bring cupcakes for dessert. I made combination of two parts I have made often but never together: vanilla cupcakes ad cocoa cream cheese frosting. I usually make this frosting with brownies or banana bread, but I think that it works great with these light and fluffy vanilla cupcakes.

 

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

120g plain flour

140g caster sugar

1 ½ tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

40g unsalted butter, at room temperature

120ml whole milk

1 egg

1 vanilla pod

Frosting

200g icing sugar, sifted

75g unsalted butter, at room temperature

30g cocoa powder, sifted

150g cream cheese, cold

Method:

Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 170°C

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined. Gradually pour in half the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.

Whisk the egg, vanilla seeds and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Do not overmix.

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until light golden and the sponge bounces back when touched.

Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Frosting

Beat together the icing sugar, butter and cocoa powder in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.

Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny.

Decorate and enjoy your cupcakes.