A sparkling fourth
Red, white and blue sparklers adorn these vanilla cupcakes
Drizzling rain and humidity made this Fourth of July a little soggy, but it didn’t fizzle out completely. Cupcakes are always festive, so I decided to whip up a batch of golden vanilla cupcakes and white icing. I considered adding red and blue dye to the icing, but the blueberries and strawberries I had on hand were a more colorful (and natural) choice for this Independence Day dessert.
I absolutely love Hello Cupcake! by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. The authors have included some of the best designs I’ve ever seen. The recipes are equally delicious. The vanilla cupcakes provided a white backdrop for the berries and the perfect complement to their acidity. A cup of buttermilk made these cupcakes rich and moist.
A few changes were made to the icing recipe. I didn’t add the third stick of butter to cut back on fat, and I added more confectioners’ sugar, (about 1/2 cup) and corn syrup for a nice texture.
I decided to add red, white and blue sparklers in the center of each cupcake. It didn’t develop as I had hoped, but the fireworks added a little atmosphere to the tray. Each one burned super fast as I tried to light the next, and the black residue started crumbling into the icing. So I guess next year I will try a different brand and lighting.
Oh well, at least there was a little sparkle added to this display.
Perfect Cake-Mix Cupcakes
1 box cake mix (French vanilla, devil’s food or yellow)
1 cup buttermilk (in place of the water called for on the box)
Vegetable oil according to package directions, usually about 1/3 cup
4 large eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Follow the box instructions, putting all the ingredients in a large bowl and substituting the buttermilk for the water, and adding the eggs. Beat with an electric mixer until moistened, about 30 seconds. Increase the spped to high and beat until thick, 2 minutes longer.
Fill the paper liners 2/3 full. Repeat with remaining batter. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the baking pan. Place on a wire rack and allow to completely cool.
Almost-Homemade Vanilla Buttercream
1 16-ounce container Marshmallow Fluff
2 sticks butter, softened and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus additional sugar if necessary
Spoon the Marshmallow Fluff into a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low. Gradually add the butter pieces, beating well after each addition, until smooth. Add the vanilla extract, corn syrup and the 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar. Add more sugar, if necessary, to adjust the texture.
— Recipes adapted from Hello, Cupcake! by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson
Red, white and blue cupcakes sparkle
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