Funfetti Cupcakes

My brother came home from school yesterday with a request: his creative writing class demanded funfetti cupcakes (if I knew how to make them) for a class party. I happily accepted the task, though I still wondered as to the excitement over funfetti. Even when I was in high school, everyone always wanted funfetti, as if it could not be a party without them. Who am I, then, to stop a party from being had?

I decided I would just use my own vanilla cake recipe and "funfetti-ize" it. Even though funfetti cupcakes typically come in a mix, where's the fun for me if it comes out of a box?

So lately I have only been making small batches of cupcakes since I am testing out new flavors, so making the 2 dozen for his class proved to be almost too much for my little hand mixer. But in the end, it looked pretty enough to eat as is!

So you will see it later in the full recipe at the bottom of the post, but I am going to share with all of you my secret ingredient when it comes to vanilla cupcakes.

Here it is: Vanilla Almond Milk. I swear by this stuff. It has a vanilla flavor that tastes wonderful on its own, and it lends additional flavor to the vanilla extract without coming off as artificial. I also think it helps with the fluffier consistency of the batter, but that's just me. 

In the end, they came out beautiful. The kids wanted chocolate frosting (as opposed to the classic vanilla) which, in my opinion, gives a much better color contrast to the cake. I think, after making these, I have now been turned into a full-fledged funfetti-lover. The smell of vanilla in the kitchen, combined with the rainbow of colors and fluffy moist cake, who could say no to these?

Vanilla "Funfetti" Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

3 cups cake flour

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup almond milk

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Rainbow Sprinkles

1. Preheat oven to 375 degreed. Place liners in 2 12-cup cupcake pans

2. In a medium bowl, combine cake flour, baking powder, and salt

3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, two at a time, followed by the vanilla.

4. Alternately fold in the flour mixture and the almond milk, starting and ending with the flour

5. Give batter quick beat with hand mixer at the end to create more uniform consistency (batter will be fluffy and thick).

6. Fold in sprinkles (Use as much or as little as you want!)

7. Bake at 375 for 15-16 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.

8. Frost with your favorite frosting and enjoy!