Magnolia Bakery’s Cupcakes

Magnolia Bakery’s Cupcakes

Yield: 24 cupcakes

1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing pans

1¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting pans

1½ cups self-rising flour

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers. Mix the flours together in a bowl. In a glass measure, mix the milk and vanilla.

In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk and the vanilla, beating well after each addition. Spoon the batter into muffin cups about ¾ full.

Bake until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched, 20 to 22 minutes. Remove cupcakes from the pans and cool on a rack before icing.

Miso-Sesame Vinaigrette That’s Good on Anything

Miso-Sesame Vinaigrette That’s Good on Anything

By J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

This all-purpose miso-sesame vinaigrette is great on a simple salad with lettuces and fresh vegetables, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, sliced onions, radishes, jicama or grated carrots, or in this Chicken and Cabbage Salad. Try it drizzled on an iceberg wedge, over sliced leftover steak, chicken or tofu, or on grilled seafood, served hot or cold. It’s especially good with grilled salmon and spicy greens like watercress, mizuna or arugula.

Yield: 1 cup

2 medium garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a knife

1 small shallot, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons shoyu or tamari

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon light miso paste

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

½ cup grapeseed, vegetable or canola oil

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons toasted white or black sesame seeds

Combine garlic, shallot, shoyu, vinegars, miso and sugar in a blender and blend on high speed until homogenous. (Alternatively, mash garlic and shallots in the bowl of a large granite or marble mortar and pestle into a fine paste using the pestle, then stir in the shoyu, vinegars, miso and sugar.)

With the blender running on medium speed (the liquid should form a vortex but not jump up and splatter on the walls of the blender), slowly drizzle in the grapeseed oil. (If using a mortar and pestle, slowly drizzle in the oil as you stir vigorously with the pestle.)

Transfer to a lidded jar. Stir in the sesame oil and sesame seeds with a spoon. Dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Shake well before using.