Yellow/Buttermilk cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

Recipe

Ingredients: (this makes 24 cupcakes)

3 cup pastry flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
3 tsp vanilla bean paste/vanilla bean extract/vanilla bean seeds (I went with vanilla extract)
1 3/4 cups super fine sugar (I used regular sugar)
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

How-to:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin pans.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and vanilla bean paste for 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time until thoroughly combined.
Add 1/3 of the flour mix, then 1/2 of the buttermilk, then 1/3 of the flour mix, then the rest of the buttermilk, and finally the remaining 1/3 of the flour mix, making sure only to mix for a few seconds after each addition (you don’t want to overmix). Make sure to scrape down the side of the bowl as well.
Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin pans, making sure not to overfill it because they will rise a lot.
Bake for 20 to 22 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through to ensure even baking.
Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing them and letting them cool completely on a wire rack.
Only when they are completely cooled proceed to top them off with the icing of your choice. I went with a strawberry buttercream made with the Italian meringue method. These are delicious!!!