Sour Cream Vanilla Cupcakes

I have fridge issues. When I was at varsity, I must have gone through 3, maybe even 4 (they died from old age, fatigue, and the occasional lethal wound to a gas pipe...it's true, you really shouldn't try to defrost those little ice-box freezers by chipping away the ice with a knife...).

So, it was nice to be "grown-up" and be able to afford a brand new fridge. But we bought one pre-children, when busy careers and business demands had us spending more time out than in (the house, not the fridge!). And fridge space wasn't an issue.

Now, we need a fridge on its own just for the variety of Pooh, Spiderman and Hello Kitty yoghurts we have to buy. So things frequently get buried in the back of the shelves (behind aforementioned yoghurts)  not to be seen for a couple of weeks, until I'm desperate for space and start chucking yoghurts out. Some... um... "interesting" things can be found lurking in the bowels of our fridge.
Thankfully fresh cream becomes sour cream and stays that way for a while before it becomes mould.

And that's why this recipe calls for sour cream! I'm sure you could use buttermilk, (or yoghurt!!) but sour cream is what I needed to use up...so, here goes:

Sour Cream Vanilla Cupcakes.

Pre-heat oven to 180'C

Line a Muffin tray with cupcake liners (recipe makes 12-15 large cupcakes, or 18-20 small ones)

2 cups flour

3/4 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

100g butter

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarb

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups sour cream

Vanilla extract 1-2 tsp ( I use Vanilla Girl vanilla - so just a few drops)

Method:

Cream together the butter and sugar

Add the eggs, one at a time - scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl in between additions. Then add the vanilla. 

In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together, and mix them with a whisk.

Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, alternating with the sour cream. Begin and end with the dry ingredients.

Mix until incorporated.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared cupcake cases, and bake for 18- 20 minutes, until
a skewer inserted comes out clean.

These cupcakes are better suited to swirls of icing rather than a flat fondant covering - the surface is domed, and slightly uneven, but they have a lovely crumb and are full of flavor.
(If you want a flat, smooth surfaced cupcake, try this Basic Vanilla Cupcake Recipe).

The icing that I used for these is a delicious egg-based American style frosting. Very yummy!
So, I will share that with you next time...
...Sorry to end on a cliffhanger! But I'll be back soon ; )

xxM