Recipe adapted from sallysbakingaddiction.com

• 1-3/4 cups cake flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature where the butter is spreadable
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large egg whites, room temperature
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature
• 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sprinkles, plus more for garnish
• Vanilla buttercream (see recipe below)

Remove the unsalted butter, egg whites, sour cream and whole milk 30-60 minutes before making. An hour was good for me!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners, plus line a second with 2 liners. You should have 14 cupcakes if properly measured.

Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together, set aside.

With your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and sugar together on medium high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. You can also use a hand mixer or just use a spoon if you’re energetic. Scrape down the sides as needed. Add the egg whites and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, then beat in the sour cream.

With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients, 1/2 at a time, until just incorporated. Slowly pour in the milk just until combined, do not overmix. Gently and slowly stir in the sprinkles, the batter will be slightly thick.

I would spray the inside of the liners because the sprinkles make the cupcakes stick. Pour or spoon the batter into the liners only 2/3 full. Bake for 19-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (20 minutes for me). Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature where the butter is spreadable
• 4-5 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 cup whole milk, half-and-half or heavy cream (heavy cream makes it creamier) I had plenty of whole milk so I didn’t buy the heavy cream – next time I will!
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• salt to taste (Sally added 1/8 tsp. and so did I)
• Dusty Rose Gel food coloring (I used Pink Salmon)
• Tip No. 849 (I used 1M)

Using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add 4-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar 1/3 at a time, milk and vanilla extract. Beat for 30 seconds on low speed. It is very important to slowly add the sugar to avoid air bubbles. Add up to 1/2 cup more sugar if frosting is too thin or another tbsp. of milk if frosting is too thick. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.

Use right away or cover tightly and store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. If you freeze it, thaw in the refrigerator then beat the frosting on medium speed for a few seconds so it’s creamy again. If you only refrigerate it, bring to room temperature and it will thin out. If needed  work out any remaining air bubbles and beat in a splash of milk to help thin the frosting out.

If you plan to tint the frosting use a toothpick and barely dip it in the gel food coloring until you get the color you want. You can always add more but hard to take it away.

Recipe will frost 12-16 (14 for me) cupcakes or a 9×13-inch quarter sheet cake. You can find the ratios for 2 and 3 layer cakes on Sally’s blog.

Note: The biggest problem with butter cream frosting is air bubbles. The butter has natural trapped air and the confectioners’ sugar pulls air into itself while it is being worked. A stand mixer can be too powerful and it whipped the sugar into the mix creating too many air bubbles. As a result I manually used a wooden spoon to get the air bubbles out. This took a little bit of time – it all depends on how creamy you want the frosting.

Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com