Lisa Sedariss Mother Sharon Sedaris Recipes

AMY SEDARIS'S VANILLA CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Turn oven on to 375 degrees F.
• Put butter in mixer and beat at medium speed until somewhat smooth. Pour in sugar and beat well. Add 2 eggs. I like to crack the eggs on the side of the bowl while it is moving, which can be really stupid. I like to take chances. Yes, I have had to throw away my batter because I lost eggshells in the mix. Yes, it was a waste of food and yes, I know how expensive butter is, but what can I say? I'm a daredevil. Mix well. Add: vanilla, baking powder, salt, flour, and milk. Beat until it looks like it is supposed to and pour into individual baking cups, until they are about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Should produce 24 cupcakes; I get 18 because I'm doing something wrong, although my cupcakes were voted second best in the city by New York Magazine.
• Frost with Amy Sedaris's Vanilla Buttercream Frostingepi:recipelink.

AMY SEDARIS'S VANILLA CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add in the eggs, two teaspoons vanilla, salt and baking powder. Add flour and milk in batches, starting and ending with flour. Stir until batter is smooth and satiny.
• Fill paper-lined muffin tins with batter. Bake at 375° for 18- 20 minutes.
• For frosting, whip together the box of confectioners' sugar, half-and-half, and one teaspoon vanilla until smooth and fluffy.
• Allow cupcakes to cool about 45 minutes and frost.
• *HINT* I added about one extra teaspoon of vanilla to the batter.
• This recipe didn't specify, but I used all-purpose flour.
• To the frosting, I added a bit more half-and-half to reach a thinner consistency.

AMY SEDARIS'S VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• In a bowl combine: one box of confectioners' sugar, one stick of unsalted butter, one teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup of milk or light cream and beat for a while. Really whip it, don't be afraid to get in there. I occasionally add food coloring and sometimes substitute pure almond extract for vanilla.
• If you do choose to add pure almond extract instead of vanilla, you're on your own. I don't know the measurement for it, but I do know it's less than the amount of vanilla you would add.