Sour Cream Pound Cake Cupcakes with Butter Cream Icing

After several days of staring and fantasizing about these little morsels of joy, I decided to bake my fantasy to life.  They are easily the best cupcakes I’ve ever eaten.  The only downside now is I’ll never be able to go back to store bought or even out of the box cupcakes, so be warned.

Sour Cream-Pound Cake Cupcakes

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 (8oz.) package cream cheese, softened

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour (sift your dry ingredients)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 (8oz.) container sour cream

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.  Beat in sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.  Stir in vanilla.

2.  Combine flour and next 3 ingredients.  Gradually add to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beating until blended.  Spoon batter by rounded tablespoonfuls into lightly greased miniature muffin pans.

3.  Bake at 350 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean.  Cool in pans on wire racks 5 minutes.  Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 30 minutes).

(I used regular muffin tins)  Bake at 350 degrees for 22 to 24 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean.  Spread cupcakes with buttercream icing.

Vanilla Buttercream Icing

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 (3oz.) package cream cheese, softened

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 (16oz.) package powdered sugar (sift, it removes all the tiny lumps and makes the icing much smoother)

3 to 4 Tbsp. milk

1.  Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

2.  Gradually add powdered sugar alternately with 3 Tbsp. milk, beating at low speed until blended and smooth after each addition.

3.  If desired, beat in remaining 1 Tbsp. milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until desired consistency.

This recipe makes 2 dozen cupcakes or 6 dozen miniature cupcakes.  These cupcakes are dense but not overly sweet, which makes the buttercream icing a great addition.  This recipe is from the February 2010 issue of Southern Living.  I hope you’ll try them and if you you do, leave me a comment and tell me what you think.