I am a flavour fanatic, a funky fillings fiend, and have a healthy distrust of anyone who says their favourite flavour of ice cream is vanilla (there is a reason why being called vanilla is an insult). Be that as it may, I very occasionally get a craving for a perfectly soft and fluffy American style vanilla cupcake with a dollop of cloud like whipped frosting. Not only is it a rare thing for vanilla flavoured fare to successfully seduce me to partake in sugary shenanigans (chocolate, I will never forsake you) but I also don’t tend to go for American style bakes when I want a treat. I often find American baked goods to be too sweet (much like their retail staff- do they really care how it’s going?), too dense (like their law makers) and too artifical (like…well take your pick really). Moreover, and to use one of my all time favourite culinary slurs, they are often a bit…‘claggy’. I can however recall a few times in my life when an American style cupcake has made me sit up and take note, and unfortunately, since the fateful day when I first baked these madagascan vanilla cupcakes, my cravings for them have been problematically frequent. This vanilla cupcake recipe renders a super soft and moist sponge that is surprisingly rich and deep in flavour (thanks to my top secret ingredient). The vanilla frosting is a basic vanilla buttercream but whipped to absolute oblivion and balanced with a generous sprinkle of salt. The result reminds me of carefree pre-teen birthdays when my Dad would buy a giant sheet cake from Costco for my school friends and I to demolish sitting on the common room floor admiring our giant collage of male celebrities (fondly named ‘the man wall’). When I need a taste of simpler times, these madagascan vanilla cupcakes really deliver. 

So what makes them so good? Well, a few things. First the batter is really wet and is cooked at a low temperature for longer to get a moist and soft cake throughout with a flat top perfect for the dollops of vanilla cloud to sit on. Not only does a flat cupcake look nicer when decorated, it also means the whole thing is really soft and tender without any pesky overcooked peaks to ruin the melt in the mouth velvety texture. Although I often like a crunchy edge to a cake for a contrast in textures, with these cupcakes there is something about not being able to tell where the sponge ends and the frosting begins when you take a bite that sets off fireworks in my brain. There is one drawback to avoiding the crunchy peaks you get when you cook a cupcake at a high temperature (180 degrees) in favour of super soft mouthfeel. When you bake the cupcakes low and slow, you won’t get much of a golden colour, and therefore much of a rich nutty flavour in the sponge because (say it with me) COLOUR IS FLAVOUR when it comes to cooking. However, I have discovered that adding a few drops of caramel flavouring into the batter combats this and adds a greater complexity of flavour. It makes the cake taste like your house smells when you bake cakes. More cakey one could say.

My recipe is adapted from an American recipe that uses sour cream. I am sure the result of using sour cream in cupcake batter is quite lovely, but it is just not the sort of thing I keep in my fridge. I write this recipe for those in the same boat, and so that you can bake these cupcakes without notice or a food shop whenever you have urgent need of nostalgic cakey comfort - day or night.

To watch a video of how I made these madagascan vanilla cupcake go to my Instagram reels @gggsarah.

Did you make this recipe? Tag me on Instagram! I would love to see!