Amy Sedaris' Vanilla Cupcakes + Peach SMBC

Not only am I obsessed with finding the perfect cupcake recipe, but I'm now obsessed with the 1M tip. All I want to do is make cupcakes and frosting! When I finally got the beater blade, the first thing I baked were Amy Sedaris' cupcake recipe so I could make a batch of SMBC. The beater blade is so cool. It definitely makes creaming a lot more efficient and seems to incorporate more air. Seeing how the butter, sugar and eggs were being creamed so intensely, I was afraid of was overmixing so I switched back to the regular paddle to add the flour and milk. I'll have to try using it next time the whole way through to see how it compares with the regular paddle in cake texture although I have a feeling that I'll just use it for pre-flour purposes..haha. I can't help that I'm paranoid about overmixing! Thanks for recommending such a great recipe Cassie! I love how this cupcake wasn't overly dense or tasted like butter and egg overload like most cupcake recipes I've tried.

Amy Sedaris' Cupcakes

24 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 1/2 stick (12 tbsp) unsalted butter
1 3/4 cup sugar (I used 1 1/2 cup sugar)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour (I used all purpose, but I guess you could use either all purpose or cake flour)
1 1/4 cup milk

Directions
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees (Amy uses 375, but I think that's too high).
2. In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt together
3. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time making sure it's well incorporated
5. Beat in vanilla
6. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with milk. Do not overbeat.
7. Divide batter evenly. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes and toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
9. Cool on wire rack for 5-10 minutes then transfer cupcakes to cool completely

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting
Adapted from How to eat a cupcake

Ingredients
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
1/2 cup peach jam (could barely taste it, will add more)

Directions
Put egg whites and sugar into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees).
Pour heated egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 7 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low, add butter two tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase speed to medium-high; continue beating until frosting appears thick, about 3 minutes.
Press jam through a strainer to get rid of lumps and beat into frosting. Beat until frosting is smooth and creamy. Continue beating for 2 minutes on low speed to eliminate air bubbles