livelaughlove.aloterella: Week 12: Vanilla Cupcake with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting & Pistachio Topping!

So being in between holidays I wasn’t sure what to make. This cupcake however has been on mind since the beginning and just sounded so yummy! This week I decided to make Vanilla cupcakes with a Honey Cream Cheese Frosting with Pistachio topping. The Pistachio was what caught my eye! These are so far my favorite cupcake, topping the Andes Mint cupcake on my list! Also I took more pictures, like I have been promising! :)

I got the original idea/recipe from: http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2011/02/lucky-vanilla-cupcakes.html I altered the recipe a little!

My recipe yields 24 cupcakes-

Vanilla Cupcakes:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 stick & 4 tbsp butter, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

4 large eggs

3 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup plus 4 tbsp milk

Heat oven to 350 and line cupcake pan with papers.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until lightened in color and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions. Beat vanilla extract.

Add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour.

When completely incorporated, divide batter evenly amongst liners, filling them 2/3 full. *Please note that is a thick cake batter!

Bake for 15-20 minutes (check at 15). Cool completely before frosting.

Honey Cream Cheese Frosting:

2- 8oz package cream cheese, room temperature

2 stick of butter, softened

1/2 cup clover honey

6-8 cups confectioners' sugar

Place cream cheese, butter and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer; beat until combined. Gradually add in confectioners' sugar, mixing until it is spreading consistency. If frosting is loose, place in refrigerator until firm enough to spread.

Pistachio Topping:

1 cup pistachios

Shell pistachios. Please note, if you love pistachios like I do its hard to shell them all knowing you can't them all. I may have eaten a few! :)