very vanilla cupcakes.

Let’s talk cupcakes.

Now don’t roll your eyes.  I know a lot has been said about cupcakes over the last few years as they’ve become quite the rage.  Cupcake towers for weddings, cupcakes in any flavor including chocolate bacon, and those cute little cupcake shops popping up in every strip mall across America, charging $3-5 per cupcake.

$3-5?!!  Is it just me or is that totally crazy?

So being the frugal foodie that I am I set out to find just how much I would save my making my own at home.

Emma was (once again) more than happy to help, especially with this sweet endeavor.  Here’s what I found (and I did not in any way change how she staged this shot) when I came into the kitchen to get started.

We were ready…

This recipe, which I adapted from Ina Garten’s Flag Cake, was fantastic.  Super moist and light with a decadent cream cheese frosting.

Here they are, just waiting to get their frost on.

A couple hours later and these beauties were ready!  Total cost to make:  $8.23.  For 24 cupcakes.  For those of you playing at home that’s $.34 per cupcake.

Dang.

Maybe Emma and I will be opening a cupcake shop near you soon

Very Vanilla Cupcakes

(Adapted from Barefoot Contessa’s Flag Cake – makes approximately 24 cupcakes)

What You’ll Need:

For the cupcakes:

1 stick butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For the frosting:

2 sticks butter, at room temperature

1 8-ounce box of cream cheese, at room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Cream together butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Then add the eggs, one at a time, and then the yogurt (or sour cream) and vanilla.  Scrape down the sides.

Sift together flour, cornstarch, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl.  With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined.  Pour into the cupcake liners and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the middle of the cupcake comes out clean.

For the icing, combine butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, mixing until smooth.

Cool cupcakes complete before frosting.  I piped my frosting on top by using a zip lock sandwich bag with a small slit cut in the corner (after I had spooned frosting into the bag).

TOTAL:  $8.23 or $.34 per serving.

Wondering how on earth I arrived at these costs?  Take a look at my shopping guide to show see what I pay for items, per serving, etc.

Nutrition:

284 calories per cupcake

15 grams of fat

30 carbs

3 grams protein

Mosey on over to Facebook and let me know what you think!