Vanilla Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Center and Almond Buttercream

These were pretty yummy too.

Back on the diet. I have been bad this week. I don't know about you, but the last 5 lbs. are the HARDEST!!

Magnolia's Vanilla Cupcake

• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 (1/2 cup-12 capacity) muffin tins with cupcake papers.

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

When cooled, fill with dulce de leche (you can put an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in the crock pot for 8 hours and it will "magically" turn into dulce de leche, by the way).

Almond Buttercream:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 8-9 cups confectioners' Sugar
• 1 1/2 Tsp. Vanilla ext.
• 1 Tsp. Almond ext.
• 1/2 to 1/3 cup milk

1.) Cream butter in mixing bowl until fluffy. Beat in confectioner's sugar 1-2 cups at a time with mixer. Add extracts. 2.) Add milk slowly until the desired "frosting" consistency is achieved.

YUM.
Ps. Stole the picture. I don't have any time to take pictures of the cupcakes I make and they're never as pretty, let's be honest :)