moist vanilla sponge cupcakes

This is my favourite recipe for birthday parties. However, I had a craving for these and with no birthdays in sight, I decided to just go ahead and make some! In both Italian and Israeli cuisine, I find that the more loosely thrown together, the most aesthetically appealing- I'm talking about the icing here.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups cake flour

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, cubed

4 large eggs

1 cup homogenized milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting:

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 sticks butter, room temperature

8 cups confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup milk

Directions:

1. Line two 12 cupcake pans with paper liners. Preheat oven to 325f.

2. In a mixing bowl combine both flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix on low speed until combined for about 3 minutes. Add in 2 sticks of cubed butter, mixing until just coated with flour.

3. Next, add in the eggs one at a time and combine. Slowly add in the milk and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and mix very well.

4. Fill the baking cups 2/3 of the way full. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool fully.

Frosting:

1. Cream together the softened butter and add 4 cups confectioner's sugar, milk and 2 teaspoons vanilla.

2. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and gradually add the rest of the sugar to reach a frosting-like consistency. At this point, you can add in any optional food colouring that you'd like. I split the icing in half to mix some pink and some purple.

3. Ensure that the cupcakes have cooled, and then proceed to frosting them. Enjoy! :-)