These tender vanilla cupcakes scented with Madagascar bourbon vanilla are topped with a rich truffle filling, so chocolate lovers can have their cake and chocolate, too. Enjoy the same day you make them for the best taste.
Yields: 12 Cupcakes Time: About 1 Hour
Preheat the oven to 325F. Line 12 muffin cups (2 1/2 inches top diameter and 1 1/4 inches deep) with paper liners.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a medium bowl.
Combine the crème fraîche, eggs, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl and whisk by hand until well mixed.
Put the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Beat on medium speed until the butter is creamy. Add the granulated sugar and beat until fluffy and pale.
Switch the mixer to low speed. Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the wet ingredients in 2 additions.
Using a tablespoon, divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling them about two-thirds full.
Bake on the middle shelf of the oven until the cupcakes are puffed, lightly browned, slightly cracked on the top, and a skewer inserted into the center of one comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a rack. When cool, remove the cupcakes, still in their paper liners, from the muffin cups.