I found “THE ONE!”

“The One.” I finally found it! No, I’m not referring to my principe azul. Thankfully, I found him in 2007. This “One” is the best, tastiest, most versatile and perfect frosting recipe to ever meet my lips. Having taste tested oodles of frostings without intense flavor & texture satisfaction, I was beginning to think that I was destined to stick with my trusty cream cheese and chocolate frostings forever. Not so, my dears. This vanilla frosting (which  easily converts to other flavors) is my now absolute favorite, never to be scraped off the top of my cupcake finger lickin’ scrumptious must-tell-the-world-of-it’s-wonders frosting. The surprise is that I thought it would be a dud. I have never been so happy to be wrong.

Old fashioned flour-based frosting has been around for quite some time and with good reason. It is smooth, velvety, light, sweet and a perfect cake companion. It is not overpoweringly sweet or buttery, doesn’t contain strange chemical ingredients, has no hint of flouriness, and most importantly, does not make you pounce on the least frosted cake slice. I was concerned about graininess when I encountered the recipe, as it calls for refined sugar, but after scanning reviews, the general consensus was that if beaten properly, no graininess should be found. After trying it last night, interrupting Husband’s “Shark Tank” program with the whir of the KitchenAid, I became a believer. I’d even be willing to shoot a cheesy infomercial about this stuff. It’s just that good.

Today’s rosy cupcake submission is in coordination with beantown Baker’s October “Power of Pink Challenge” supporting breast cancer awareness. Having had family members successfully fight this battle, what more can I do than raise my flag in tribute to the brave men and women who have and will experience this challenge within their families? Join your local breast cancer awareness campaign and do your part to support cancer research.

These vanilla cupcakes are delightful. They are a one-bowl wonder and bake up beautifully, gently domed, no overly golden edges, sturdy enough to frost with a heavy hand, and just plain vanilla delicious. Did I mention that they’re also vegan? Between the basic ingredients of these cute cuppies and the phenomenal flour frosting, I did not break the bank baking yesterday. This is one my my thriftiest baking recipes of all time. Trust me, no one will ever know…until they plead for the recipes.

Vanilla Cupcakes
Adapted from Jennifer‘s blog 
makes 22 cupcakes
1 TB white vinegar
1 ½ scant cups plain soymilk,not veganterested? Use 2%
2 1/8 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 1/8 cups sugar
½ cup oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray 22 muffin cups with nonstick spray or line with paper cupcake liners.
2. Place the vinegar in the bottom of a liquid measuring cup and fill the cup with soymilk to equal 1 ½ cups. Stir well and set aside (the mixture will curdle).
3. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. To the soymilk mix in the measuring cup, stir in oil and extract.
5. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.
6. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.
7. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes and place on a wire rack. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Finger Lickin’ Flour Frosting
Adapted from Dozenflours
1 c. milk (soy or rice, if going the vegan route)
1/2 c.flour
1/2 c. shortening * Butter can be substituted for either or both shortening and margarine.
1/2 c. margarine
1c. sugar * Not confectioners! And no, you do not need cook this. It WILL incorporate well.
2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. salt

1. In small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together milk and flour. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it thickens and resembles a paste.
2. Decrease heat to low and continue cooking 2-3 minutes until it is very thick and both of your arms are aching from the stirring
3. Remove from heat and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 hours, or until cool.
4. Beat remaining ingredients 5 minutes until they loosen up and fluff.
5. In 4 additions, mix in the flour paste. Beat, scraping the bowl often, until frosting is a lovely uniform texture with no sign of graininess. This took me about 12 minutes.
6. At this point, the frosting should be stiff enough to spread or pipe, but if you desire more rigidity, refrigerate 10 minutes.