Magnolia Bakery vs. Hummingbird Bakery

Here we have it. Once again England and America are going head to head to see who reigns supreme, although this time it's over vanilla cupcakes.

Having contributed a great many pennies to the cupcake shops that seem to be flourishing over my fair nation's capital, I thought it best to see if we really knew what we were talking about. After all, the Hummingbird Bakery that started on Portobello Rd in Notting Hill was inspired by a visit to USA and sampling North American examples. Since stumbling across a recipe for

Magnolia Bakery cupcakes - a bakery heralded for it's sweet morsels equally as it's transatlantic counterpart - I thought it best to bake a batch of each and see who really made the best vanilla cupcakes.

So I recruited the best expert in cupcakes I know. My sister. This beautiful little baker has been making cupcakes ever since she could reach a counter top. Here are the two recipes that were tested as well as our conclusions... let me know your own findings.

Magnolia bakery recipe for 24 cupcakes:

175 g unsalted butter (1 cup or 2 sticks)

350 g caster sugar (2 cups)

4 large eggs

200g self-raising flour, sifted (1 and 1/2 cups)

150g plain flour (1 and 1/4 cups)

250 ml full-fat milk (1 cup)

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Icing:

400g unsalted butter, softened

250g icing sugar 

food colouring

Preheat oven to 180 C, prepare two cupcake tins by filling each hole with paper cups.

Beat the butter until smooth, gradually adding the sugar until if becomes pale and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well to ensure each is combined. Sift the flours together and in a separate jug combine the milk and vanilla. With a metal spoon, fold a quarter of the flour into the mixture alternating with the milk and vanilla, repeating until everything is mixed. Be careful at this point not to over-beat and release the air.

Spoon the batter into the cupcake cases to just over halfway. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden on top. Remove them from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.

To make the icing, beat together the butter and icing sugar. When adding the food colouring, use a tooth pick to add small streaks of colouring to ensure it stays pale. When the cupcakes have cooled top with the icing.

And now for the English contender, Hummingbird Bakery (recipe taken from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook):

For the vanilla cupcakes:

Makes 12

120g plain flour

140g caster sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

40g unsalted butter at room temp

120ml whole milk

1 egg

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 quantity vanilla frosting

decorations

a 12 hole cupcake tray lined with paper cases

Preheat the oven to 170c/350f/Gas 3

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt an butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on a slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined. Gradually pour in half the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.

Whisk the egg, vanilla extract and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporate (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Do not over mix.

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 mins, or until light and golden and the sponge bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

When the cupcakes are cold, spoon the frosting on top and decorate.

Vanilla Frosting:

250g icing sugar, sifted

80g unsalted butter at room temp

25ml whole milk

a couple drops of vanilla extract

makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes (double the recipe for 20-cm cakes)

Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld whisk) on a medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Turn the mixer down to slow speed. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture a couple of tablespoons at a time. Once all the milk has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 mins. The longer the frosting beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

The overall winner for this was the Hummingbird cupcake.

I will say that the cake mixture from Magnolia Bakery is wonderful on it's own and would do very well accompanied by some vanilla whipped cream and fresh red berries. It's icing, however, is mind boggling. I would always do a greater ratio for sugar to butter for butter icing.