national cupcake day! (and confetti cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting)

i'm not one to follow all of the "national _____ days" but i was pretty excited when i found out that today is national cupcake day.  what a great excuse to eat a cupcake, and a great way to start off the week!

cupcakes are sweet all the time, but they are extra sweet when they support a good cause.  today our neighbors in canada are celebrating national cupcake day today by holding cupcake parties and bake sales in order to help raise money for animals in need.  all of the profits from the cupcake fundraisers go to SPCAs and humane societies around canada.

what a great idea!  we love cupcakes and we love animals.  talk about a match made in heaven.  you don't have to be in canada to participate.  if you want to get involved, you can find out more information here.  (i bet leko is going to want a tuna flavored cupcake to celebrate today!)

if you want to make some festive cupcakes of your own to celebrate today, here's a great recipe for confetti cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting.  i just recently made these cupcakes last week for a co-worker's birthday, and they were a huge hit.  you can't go wrong with a classic!

. . .

confetti cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting

prep time: 10-15 minutes

baking time: 18-20 minutes

yields: 24 cupcakes

adapted from annie's eats

cupcake ingredients:

1 cup whole milk

6 large egg whites

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups cake flour

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup salted butter, softened

1/2 cup multi-colored sprinkles

frosting ingredients:

1 cup salted butter, softened

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

3-4 cups powdered sugar

directions:

preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  line two cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners.  to make the cupcakes, in a measuring cup whisk together the milk, egg, whites, and vanilla.  set aside.  in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and sugar.  add the butter and mix at low speed until the mixer resembles wet sand (about 30 seconds).  gradually add in the wet ingredients.  beat until combined, but do not over beat.  gently fold in the sprinkles. pour the batter into the prepared cupcake pans, filling each about two-thirds of the way full.  bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.  allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.    

to make the frosting, combine the butter, vanilla, milk, and half of the powdered sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer and whisk together until combined.  gradually add more powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.  use a piping bag to pipe the frosting on top of the cooled cupcakes.  decorate with additional sprinkles.

enjoy!
love, laurie