Makes 18
For cupcakes:
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup butter flavored Crisco shortening
3 eggs
2 cups cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. butter flavor extract
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 12-cup regular sized muffin pan with paper and foil cupcake baking cups. You’ll have to do this again after the 1st batch cooks – but the 2nd time, you’ll only use 6. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar with an electric mixer and beat for 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt and soda.
To the cup of buttermilk, add the extracts. Add the flour mixture to the shortening and sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk/extract mixture, beating for 1 minute with each addition.
Pour the batter into the baking cups – filling about 2/3 full. Don’t overfill. Bake for 15- 20 minutes (don’t over bake) or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan and cooling completely on wire racks.
When cupcakes are cooled, remove a plug of cake from the center to make a well that is about 2/3 deep. (I use a cupcake plunger from Chicago Metallic to do this.) Put the plug removed to the side and fill the well with pastry cream to just below the top of the cupcake. Remove the very top of the plug and place back over the well filled with pastry cream so that it is flush with the top of the cupcake. Frost top with Milk Chocolate Frosting.
Pastry Cream:
6 TBSPS. sugar
1 TBSP. cornstarch
1 TBSP. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. salt
