Desserts
3 cups (12 ounces) cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ⅓ cups (9⅓ ounces) sugar
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 standard muffin/cupcake tins with paper or foil cupcake liners.
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl until combined. Whisk eggs and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. In steady stream, pour sugar into eggs, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in melted butter, then add buttermilk. Add one-third of dry ingredients to bowl with wet ingredients. Using whisk, gently combine; a few streaks of flour should remain. Repeat twice with remaining dry ingredients. Continue to gently stir batter with whisk until most lumps are gone. Do not overmix.
Fill cupcake liners about two-thirds full. Bake, with tins side by side on middle rack, until cupcakes just begin to color and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool pans on wire racks for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes from pans, place back on rack, and cool to room temperature before frosting, about 1 hour.
Calories: 3905