Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

Here are some delicious vanilla cupcakes.  I am beginning to realize the true value of vanilla beans, and the wonderful taste they bring to desserts!


I found the recipe for both the cupcakes and the chocolate buttercream on joythebaker.com. She has some truly amazing recipes on her site, and is a wonderful person too. 

I decorated these with my fun Christmas sprinkles, and ta-da! Cute Christmas Cupcakes!


These cupcakes were more dense than I anticipated, but they tasted wonderful! As for the chocolate buttercream, I really enjoyed what the addition of Ovaltine did for it, but I only needed about a quarter of whipping cream and ovaltine than what was listed.  

These are also incredibly delicious when naked! 


This recipe made 24 cupcakes, and the icing was the perfect amount needed to ice them all.


Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 vanilla bean - seeds scraped out and reserved
• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F and line two muffin pans with paper liners
2. Beat together the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy
3. While the butter and sugar are mixing, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl
4. In a small bowl, whisk the milk, vanilla, and vanilla bean seeds together
5. Once the butter/sugar is light and fluffy, add the eggs (one at a time), making sure to mix very well
6. Add half of the flour to the butter/sugar, then the milk/vanilla mixture, followed by the remaining flour
7. Mix until the batter is just coming together
8. Fill up the cupcake cups, and bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into a cupcake
9. Let the cupcakes come to room temperature before frosting with your favourite frosting

Chocolate Buttercream

• 3/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream (I needed less than half of this)
• 1/3 cup ovaltine (I used less than half of this)

1. Beat the butter, cocoa, and salt together until well combined
2. Add the icing sugar and begin to mix well
3. As you are mixing in the icing sugar, pour in the vanilla and the 2 tbsp of milk
4. Beat the icing on high so that the icing smooths out
5. In a small bowl, mix together the heavy cream and ovaltine
6. Add the cream/ovaltine mixture to the icing 1 tbsp at a time, until the desired consistency is reached
7. Enjoy!