Food: Vanilla (with hints of butterscotch) cupcakes and mini SKOR topping

I've been home for reading week the last few days and I've finally got a chance to bake! I was too consumed in being lazy for the week and going to pilates/yoga class everyday. I started with a basic vanilla cupcake and I decided to add some of the leftover butterscotch chips that was lying around. Along with that, I just made a basic buttercreme frosting and added tiny SKOR bits on top. I had everyone on a sugar coma! 

Vanilla Cupcakes with a Hint of Butterscotch

• 1 cup of unsalted butter (soften, room-temperature)
• 2 cups of granulated sugar
• 2 3/4 cups of flour (I used blending flour)
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• a dash of salt
• 1 cup of milk (I used whole milk)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup of butterscotch chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees C. Line two cupcake pans with liners - you may not fill all of them up depending on how much you fill them up, but line them all up just in case.

In a big bowl, cream the butter and sugar together using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer. Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Give it a good mix. Set aside.

Using a measuring cup, measure out the milk. Then, add the vanilla extract. Give it a stir. Set aside. 

Going back to the big bowl, you'll alternate between the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in three parts - slowly incorporating it into the sugar and butter mix. Make sure you do not over mix. Stop mixing once you don't see anymore of the dry ingredients. Using a spoon (or any other utensil), slowly stir and mix in the butterscotch chips. 

Using an ice cream scoop, fill up the liners. The ice cream scoop will distribute the batter more or less evenly throughout. In the end, I only filled up 20 liners. 

Pop them into the oven for 16-20 minutes. Let them cool before you frost them!

Vanilla Buttercreme Frosting 

• 1 cup of unsalted butter (soften, room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups of powdered sugar
• 4-5 tablespoons of milk/cream (I used whipping cream)

Prepare your piping bag.

In a bowl, cream the butter. Add the vanilla extract. Add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time, blending right after. Add a tablespoon of milk/cream when you find it hard to blend. Mix until the all the ingredients are well blended. 

Fill the piping bag up and frost your cupcakes the way your heart desires. 

Give your cupcakes a sprinkle of some skor chips to finish the cupcake up.

Definitely a good hit away from your classic vanilla cupcake.

Enjoy!

<3

Susan