Perfect White Cake

Earlier this week I found out great news from my boyfriend - he got a raise at work! He deserved it and I couldn't be prouder of him! I wanted to celebrate so I asked him to pick a dessert that I could make. With some deliberation, we decided on white cupcakes with chocolate chips and Ghirardelli chocolate frosting. The last time I made white cupcakes, found here, I thought they were a little too dense and tasted a bit like pancakes (yes, I just said pancakes). So I was determined to find a better recipe that would make a fluffy, light but still moist cake. This recipe does the job, hands down! It is light and has the perfect flavor to accent any type of frosting.

The recipe calls for cake flour, which I have never worked with before. I did some research and found that cake flour is better for fluffier results. I had to try it, especially because that was one of my complaints about the last cupcakes. I was very happy with the results! The only problem with these extra light and tasty cupcakes is that our chocolate chips sank to the bottom! However, it makes for a yummy surprise!

Perfect White Cake 

adapted from allrecipes

Ingredients

2 3/4 c. sifted cake flour

4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

4 egg whites

1 1/2 c. white sugar

3/4 c. butter

1 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

1 1/2 c. Ghirardelli chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. Add 1/2 cup of sugar gradually and beat until soft peaks form. Set aside. 

3. In another bowl, cream butter and the remaining cup of sugar. Alternating between sifted ingredients and milk, gradually add to bowl and mix. 

4. Add in vanilla extract and meringue (the egg whites/sugar mixture). Be careful not to over-mix. To help avoid over-mixing, I folded in the meringue instead of using a hand mixer. Fold in chocolate chips, if desired.

5. Spread batter in a large cake pan or scoop into a lined cupcake pan. The recipe makes a few more than 24 cupcakes.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes for a cake, 20 to 25 minutes for cupcakes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wired rack.

7. Frost with your favorite recipe or the one below once completely cooled. 

We made chocolate frosting found on the can of Ghirardelli's sweet ground chocolate and cocoa for these cupcakes. I struggled to get the perfect consistency. I actually made the frosting twice! The first time I added too much sugar so I scraped it off and tried again. The second round turned out great! It still had a bit more powdered sugar than the recipe called for so it was a good thickness. So don't be afriad to use a little more than the recipe calls for.

Ghirardelli Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients

1/4 c. butter

3 Tbsp. milk

1/2 c. Ghirardelli sweet ground chocolate and cocoa

2 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

dash of salt

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a saucepan on low heat. Add milk and ground chocolate and cocoa. Remove from heat

2. Add powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla.

3. Beat until smooth

4. Frost onto the cupcakes above or your favorite baking good