birthday parties ≡ sprinkles

My niece is 5 years old. I can hardly believe it.

I still distinctly remember holding her in my arms at the hospital, and now I doubt I could pick her up without straining. Where does the time go? I'm sure her mother feels this way much more intensely (along with all of the mothers)!

We had a birthday party to celebrate that adorable, smart, and sweet rascal's five years on the planet, and I made cupcakes. I took a traditional route and made chocolate cupcakes, but I decided to make the frosting a little more exciting than plain ol' vanilla buttercream. I blended in a bit of Vanilla Bean Extract "Crush" from Sonoma Syrup Co. and found that it added an amazing flavor to the otherwise basic frosting. The website describes this as an exclusive blend of pure vanilla extract from the finest quality premium Madagascar Bourbon and Tahitian vanilla beans that attains the highest desirable taste note, and I must concur--it was delicious.

Sonoma Syrup Co. has many, many simple syrups that would be perfect for blending into frostings. I'm thinking Cinnamon simple syrup in a frosting for apple or spice cake, White Ginger simple syrup for carrot cake, Mint simple syrup for chocolate cake, and Lavender simple syrup for lemon cake. Oh, the mouth, it does water.

Oh, and as you can tell, I made the frosting quite colorful. Sprinkles make any occasion more fun and festive, and I personally love rainbow streaks and would happily include them on any cupcakes regardless of the effort (and potential mess clean-up) involved. Happy birthday, LG! Only the prettiest for you!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting (and sprinkles!)
(printable recipe)
Makes 24
Ingredients:
Chocolate cupcakes:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla bean frosting:

• 3 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon milk, plus more, if needed
• 1 tablespoon Vanilla Bean Extract "Crush"

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside.
Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
Divide batter evenly among prepared cups, filling each 2/3 full.
Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed.
Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting, be sure to have all the ingredients at room temperature.
In the bowl of an electric mixer or with a hand mixer, combine the powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute.
Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
If the frosting seems dry, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks. Tint with food coloring as described here if desired.