Cupcakes - CI style

This is a basic yellow cake cupcake recipe, to which I have added both fresh and dried fruit (in different batches). It makes light, sweet cupcakes which are nicely complemented by added fruit. This frosting is nice and mild, so doesn't overpower the fruit. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Cupcakes
Ingredients
1.5c all-purpose flour (7.5 oz.)
1c sugar (7 oz.)
1.5tsp baking powder
0.5tsp salt
8Tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick), room temp
0.5c sour cream
1 egg and 2 yolks, room temp.
1.5tsp vanilla extract
a small handful of dried or fresh fruit, cut into small dice

Directions
Heat oven to 350F. Line muffin tins with paper cupcake cups. Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt). Add butter, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla, and beat until smooth and satiny. Mix in any dry pockets by hand, if using a mixer. Add fruit and fold into batter.

Split batter among 12 cups. Bake 20-24 minutes, until tops are pale gold and a wooden toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean. Remove from muffin tin and cool on a wire rack about 45 minutes.

Notes
If you use fresh fruit, add a little less sour cream to make up for the extra water or bake a little longer. If you use dried fruit, add a little water or more sour cream; better, rehydrate your fruit before adding it.

Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
4 eggs
1c sugar
2tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
1 lb unsalted butter (4 sticks), softened, cut into quarters

Directions
In a large pot, boil an inch of water. Mix eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large metal bowl. Place bowl over pot. Whisk continuously until egg goo is light and frothy and your instant read thermometer/probe thermometer/finger registers 160F. Remove from heat (ie. take it off the hot pot) and beat with whisk at medium-high until light, airy, and cool, about 5 minutes. Slow your mixer to medium and add butter slowly. After all butter is added, turn back up to high and beat until light, fluffy, and all mixed up.

Notes
Don't bother if you don't have an electric mixer. I made this yesterday with just a whisk. I will never do that again. It is very hard to get the butter really incorporated using a whisk, and beating for 5 minutes by hand is just painful.