Dessert: Over the Moon Cupcakes

Recipe by Jan Moon If there is a rival to Wedding Cake, it is our Over the Moon cupcake. We make it with an oh-so-rich vanilla bean paste that gives it an "out of this world" flavor. One customer said that it tastes like it was kissed by an angel.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose soft-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
Paper baking cups
Vegetable cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in extracts.
Place paper baking cups in 2 (12-cup) muffin pans, and coat with cooking spray; spoon batter into cups, filling two-thirds full.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely.
Prepare two recipes of Vanilla Bean Frosting. Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat at high speed 2 minutes or until creamy. Makes 3 cups.
Fill each cupcake with Vanilla Bean Frosting. To fill cupcakes, insert the end of a wooden spoon or dowel into the center of the cupcake to make a hole. Fill a zip-top plastic freezer bag with filling or frosting. Use scissors or kitchen shears to snip about 1/4 inch from one corner of the bag; insert bag into the hole in the cupcake. Squeeze gently until filling comes to the top of each cupcake.
Add food coloring to remaining Vanilla Bean Frosting. Stir gently until marbled.
Frost each cupcake with marbled frosting using metal tip no. 2D. Top each with white chocolate curls and edible glitter stars.

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