Kids in the Kitchen: Vanilla Car Cupcakes

I’m always looking for fun things to do with my kids in the kitchen. I like to get them involved and it is something we can all enjoy doing together. (Especially the eating part.)

My sweet friend gave me this car cake pan. My kids love cars. We all love this pan. It’s made by Nordic Ware, one of my favorite companies. Up until a few days ago, it was available at Williams-Sonoma in the wsKids baking section. Now you may find it on eBay or from other auction-type sellers. The latest Nordic Ware pan for kids is the Railway Cake Pan–we might just need this, too.

Vanilla Car Cupcakes
from Williams-Sonoma Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpos flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
16 Tbsp. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:
Have all ingredients at room temperature.

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Grease the wells of the Car Cake Pan and dust with flour. (I always let my daughter help me with this.)

Sift the dry ingredients in to the bowl of an electric mixer. (We used a hand mixer and whisked our dry ingredients.)

In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Fit the mixer with a flat beater. Add the butter mixture and beat on the lowest speed until the dry ingredients are moistened, 15 to 20 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds.

Divide the batter in half and set half of it aside. Spoon the remaining batter into the prepared wells, filling each to within 1/2″ of the top. Tap the pan firmly on the counter to release any air bubbles. To ensure good detail on the cakes, spread the bater so it reaches the the top edges of each well.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes, then invert the cakes onto the rack and let cool for at least 1 hour before decorating or serving.

Makes 16 cakes.

Notes: I halved the recipe because 16 cupcakes was too many for us to eat! Also, the cakes are best the day they are baked. And they were eaten. Every last one. Even without icing.

(p.s. my little taste tester loved these as well)