Wedding Cupcakes (Round 2)

After I made the Martha Stewart cupcakes, I whipped together a yellow cake recipe I had used as a base for these root beer float cupcakes. Instead of root beer, I substituted buttermilk. The batter was delicious, unlike the batter for these MS cupcakes. I popped them into the oven and waited. When I opened the oven, I found small mishapen cupcakes. They didn't rise very much and looked like little lumpy muffins. I tasted them and while the flavor was much better than the MS cupcakes, they were very dense and kinda dry. I don't know what happened since they came out great with the root beer, so I blame the buttermilk. I sent them along to the bride with the MS cupcakes and being the nice person she is, she said they were delicious. Again I went back to the drawing board and asked her if I could make her my go-to vanilla cupcakes, even though she wanted yellow cupcakes.

Yellow Cupcakes
Source: Betty Crocker Big Book of Cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 and 1/3 cups flour
2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter (room temperature)
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup buttermilk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two cupcake tins with 24 cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

In another large bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds on medium speed. Gradually add sugar 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat for two minutes and scrape down the sides of bowl as needed.

Add eggs one at a time and vanilla and beat well.

Reduce speed to low and alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk in three additions, ending with flour and mixing until just blended.

Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.