vanilla bean pound cake heart cupcakes

I love simple baking and crafting projects that I can do with my little ones . . . and you can't get much easier than making pound cake. There are few ingredients, and its preparation is simple . . . a great recipe to make with kids.

So for this sweet adventure, we baked pound cake cupcakes instead of a traditional pound cake loaf . . . and used heart cut-outs and powdered sugar to decorate our Valentine-inspired treats.

And for an extra special treat, I added vanilla beans to the batter instead of pure vanilla extract. There's something magical about the aroma of fresh vanilla beans AND hundreds of brown specs suspended in creamy white cake. Dreamy!  

a decorating tip . . .

Crease the paper heart so that it stays in place (see above photo).

You can also use the tip of your finger to hold in in place while you shake the powder sugar.

~  and  ~

Because our goal when baking with kids is to have fun AND keep the mess to a minimum, 

I highly recommend sprinkling the powdered sugar over a large plate or baking sheet 

to help contain the creative mess (big smile!).

Vanilla Bean Sour Cream Pound Cake

heart cupcakes

1 ½ cups flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 eggs, room temperature

1 vanilla bean 

½ cup sour cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds inside using the back of a knife. 

Add vanilla bean seeds to the butter/sugar mixture and mix to incorporate.

Continue mixing and add eggs, one at a time. Add the sour cream and mix well.

Slowly add the flour mixture, and beat just until combined. Do not over mix.

Pour the batter into cupcake liners, about ¾ full, and bake for 13-15 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and remove them from the pan.

Sprinkle with powder sugar or sanding sugar . . . Serve with fresh berries and enjoy!

~ one of my Sweethearts enjoying her creation ~

Because our goal is to have fun AND keep the mess to a minimum, 

I highly recommend sprinkling the powdered sugar over a large plate or baking sheet 

to help contain the creative mess (big smile!).

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