Yellow Cupcakes -- The Sweetness That Filled the Room When Caleb Took His First Steps

Caleb Marcus Simms turned one year old on Saturday, August tenth. Eleven people in CJ and Shanice's house, the backyard strung with lights, the coconut cake with the white frosting on the table. He walked on his own for the first time at the party — three steps, four, then five — toward Destiny's outstretched hands, and the room erupted in a noise that startled him slightly and then made him look around with the satisfied expression of a person who has figured out how to generate a particular response from a room. He is going to be something, this child.

The smash cake: I set it in front of him on his tray. He looked at it with the expression he uses when he is being careful. Then he touched it with one finger. Then both hands went in with full commitment and the frosting went everywhere — on the tray, on his face, in his hair, on the lens of every camera pointed at him — and he looked utterly pleased with himself and ate a considerable amount of coconut buttercream with his hands and was happy in the complete way that babies are happy when they have been given something designed entirely for their joy.

Paulette Carter was on his left. I was on his right. The two grandmothers. She looked at me over Caleb's head while he was eating the frosting from his hands and she said, look at him. I said, I know. She said, a year. I said, a year. We did not say anything else because there wasn't anything else to say. Some moments carry their own completeness. You just have to be present for them and not talk over them. I have been learning this. I think I am getting better at it.

We had the smash cake for Caleb, but we needed something for the other ten people in that backyard — something cheerful and uncomplicated that wouldn’t compete with the moment but would hold its own on the table. Yellow cupcakes were exactly right. They’re the kind of thing that just makes a party feel complete, and on a day when a little boy walked for the first time and two grandmothers ran out of words, simple and sweet was all we needed.

Yellow Cupcakes

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
• For the buttercream frosting:
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3–4 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.
2. Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 3–4 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
4. Add eggs and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract until fully combined.
5. Alternate dry and wet. Reduce mixer to low speed. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix just until combined — do not overmix.
6. Fill and bake. Divide batter evenly among the prepared liners, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops spring back lightly when touched.
7. Cool completely. Remove cupcakes from the pan and transfer to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before frosting — at least 30 minutes.
8. Make the buttercream. Beat the softened butter on medium-high speed until very pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low. Add vanilla, salt, and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream, then beat on high for 2 minutes until light and spreadable. Add the remaining tablespoon of cream if needed to reach desired consistency.
9. Frost and serve. Pipe or spread buttercream onto cooled cupcakes. Decorate as desired with sprinkles or colored sugar for a celebration.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 290 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 40g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 115mg