As all of you who follow this blog know, a couple of months ago I was chosen out of 700+ people to participate in the search for the ultimate vanilla cupcake recipe. Well after a few good tries it has finally come to an end with what I and 65% of the 50 Explorers feel is The Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake! When I first started with this project I was skeptical that we would ever come up with a cupcake that I would deem the best of the best. You see, I'm not really a vanilla cupcake fan. Give me a chocolate, strawberry, red velvet or any other off the wall flavor and I can't turn them away. But vanilla is different. It's the plain jane of the cupcake world. That's what I used to think, until Round 3 of The Ultimate Vanilla Challenge. The minute I took the pan of Round 3 cupcakes out of the oven, I was sold. The appearance and smell alone was unbeliveable. They were a perfect little domed confection, speckled with vanilla beans, that smelled amazing. It was all I could do to wait for them to cool long enough to eat one. And after the first bite of warm vanilla heaven there was no turning back. The texture & taste were like no other vanilla cupcake I had ever tasted. As far as I'm concerned these cupcakes needed no stack of icing to make it taste or look better. They were PERFECT! After reporting back, Stef finally realized that there was no way to satisfy and get 80% of people to agree on anything, so at that point we re-evaluated where we stood and she decided that 65% was a pretty fair assessment of goodness. And I would have to agree!
So what's the next step. It's your turn! If you're the type that likes to bake and try new things then I highly recommend trying this recipe, but I have to say, follow it exactly as it is written, and be careful to fill the liners just a little over half full. If you don't it changes the whole outcome of the cupcake. If you're not the baking type then call me or email me and order some of The Ultimate Vanilla!
This was an absolute amazing experience. I feel like I have become friends with Stef without ever meeting her. She has changed my cupcake business in so many ways, and has been so great at providing information about all things cupcake. I hope to continue the friendship we have created online and I hope that she will continue with the new and exciting cupcake recipes that she has shared with all of us. You can check out her blog at http://www.cupcakeproject.com/ for The Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake recipe and many other amazing food and cupcake creations!
