Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups Plain flour
• 2 teaspoons Baking powder
• 200 grams Softened, unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cups Castor sugar
• 4 Eggs
• 1 Vanilla bean, beans scraped out
• 1 cup Milk
• 100 grams soften, unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract or vanilla bean
• 4 cups Icing sugar, sifted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 170*.
2. Line two muffin trays (12 holes) with cupcake papers.
3. In a large bowl, sift the flour and baking powder.
4. In the bowl of your KitchenAid or other mixer cream the butter for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the castor sugar 1/3 at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each addition.
6. After all the sugar is beaten in, continue beating until light and fluffy and the sugar has almost dissolved.  This will take quite a few minutes.
7. Then, add the eggs one by one.  Beat for 1 minute after each addition, ensuring the egg is well combined and the mixture light and fluffy.
8. Scrape in your vanilla beans (or add vanilla extract) and beat until combined.
9. Whilst beating on a low speed, add 1/3 of your flour until combined.
10. Add half of the milk and beat until combined.
11. Repeat the process with the remaining flour and milk.
12. Once the final lot of flour is combined, stop your mixer – be careful not to overmix.
13. Spoon the mixture into your cupcake papers – you want to fill about 3/4 full.
14. Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
15. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and then remove from the trays immediately so they don’t continue cooking in the pan.
16. Cool cupcakes on a wire rack for 30 minutes before icing.
17. To make your icing, cream 100g of softened, unsalted butter for 1-2 minutes.
18. Add 1/4 cup milk, more vanilla beans/vanilla extract and 2 cups of sifted icing sugar.
19. Beat for at least 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
20. Add the remaining 2 cups of sifted icing sugar and beat for another 3 minutes until light and fluffy.  You want the mixture to be spreadable without being liquidy – add more milk or icing sugar if needed to get the consistency right.
21. Ice your cupcakes, decorating as desired.