Vanilla Cupcakes with Farmer's Cheese Frosting

Today I'd like to go back in time for a moment, to December, when my daughter Louisa had her birthday. When I was planning the menu for her party, cupcakes simply had to be on it, with colorful sprinkles, of course. Colorful, meaning pink, because that's probably the most important color in her life right now ;) The little girls were thrilled, and the cupcakes disappeared very quickly.

I had never made cupcakes before, and these were my first. I also wanted to compare them to the muffins we all know and love.

To be honest, I didn't even know what the difference between muffins and cupcakes was. As I dug into the topic, I realized that I'm not the only one looking for differences, so is a large part of the baking world online.

For me, both kinds of little cakes were almost the same. Looking through photos and recipes, I mainly noticed a difference in appearance. Cupcakes are decorated with colorful frosting, they're often smaller than muffins, and they rarely have raisins, nuts, or other add-ins. To me, cupcakes also taste more delicate and more buttery.

The topic is covered in an interesting way on cakespy, and I'd happily sign my name under it. It turns out that the difference between the two kinds is very blurry. They can be made in a similar way. The main difference is the appearance I already mentioned. Cupcakes also tend to be smaller, in mini form, and muffins can be made savory or spicy, while cupcakes never are. Muffins are also treated more as breakfast food, like a mini loaf of bread, while cupcakes are like mini cakes.

To sum up… I suggest making both yourself and comparing them.

I took the recipe from Amanda and Debbie at exclusively food. The authors suggest filling the liners ¼ full, but my cupcakes didn't manage to rise beyond the pan. I don't know whether I made a mistake somewhere or the mistake is in the recipe. Either way, the cupcakes came out fluffy and very tasty! I suggest filling the liners halfway.

You can make them up to 2 days before serving, but I recommend saving the frosting for the last day before serving.

vanilla mini cupcakes

Instructions:

Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) (160°C/320°F with fan).

Beat the butter with the sugar and vanilla, starting on low speed and increasing it once the sugar is blended with the butter. Beat only until the mixture is creamy and uniform. In the meantime, if needed, scrape the mixture down from the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

Add one egg and beat for about a minute. Add the second egg and mix. Add half of the flour and mix gently with a spoon or on the very lowest speed of the mixer, until the flour is blended into the butter mixture. Add half of the milk and beat on low speed until it's blended in. At this point the batter may look curdled (lumpy).

Repeat with the remaining flour and milk. Just remember not to mix for too long. The batter should be only lightly mixed.

Pour the batter into the liners (according to the original, to ¼ of the height of the liner). Bake for about 20 minutes, until the cupcakes turn golden (you can do a toothpick test – insert a thin toothpick into the center of a cupcake. It should come out dry).

After taking them out of the oven, leave them in the pan for another 5 minutes, then remove them and let them cool on a wire rack.

Spread the frosting on the cooled cupcakes and decorate as you like.

Farmer's cheese frosting

Mix all the ingredients well until smooth.

You can melt a small portion of the frosting and add it back in while beating, which makes the frosting runnier. However, it doesn't set completely.

Enjoy!