There was a potluck staff luncheon at work today, so I decided to try a recipe out of the latest cupcake cookbook I’ve received: Christabel Martin’s Cupcakes—A Fine Selection of Sweet Treats.

I wanted something simple because I didn’t have a lot of time to work with, so I went with White Chocolate Cupcakes, mainly because they didn’t call for a frosting.  They ended up working out even better than expected, because their dense texture and not-too-sweet flavor served well at the early morning/afternoon affair, sort of like a muffin in disguise.  (Because really, what’s the difference between a muffin and a cupcake?  Frosting and texture, I suppose!)

I also like the fact that the recipe yields only 12 cupcakes.  Although I ended up making two batches for the luncheon, a single batch would be perfect if you wanted to make a spur-of-the-moment dessert for just a handful of people.

If I had time, I would’ve drizzled some melted white chocolate on top of the cooled cakes—something neat to do for Easter, especially if you dye the drizzle in springy pastel colors.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c. superfine sugar (I never used superfine sugar before; and at first I wasn’t even going to bother, but then I figured, why not?  Truth be told, I don’t know if it made a big difference or not—but the texture was good, and I can only imagine the superfineness contributed to that.)

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. self-rising flour, sifted

1/2 c. buttermilk

1 1/4 c. white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners.  Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and creamy.  Gradually add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the vanilla and beat until combined.  Fold in the flour alternately with the buttermilk, then fold in the chocolate chips.

Divide batter evenly among the 12 lined muffin cups; the batter is rather thick, and fills each up pretty much to the top.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the center of a cake.  Leave the cakes to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.