Birthday Vanilla Cupcakes with Homemade Icing

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a standard 6-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt.

In a separate larger bowl, use an electric mixer to beat 1/4 cup of room temperature unsalted butter until creamy. Add the 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and beat until well combined and fluffy.

Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Pour in 1/4 cup of whole milk and mix again. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just a few streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.

Divide the batter evenly among the 6 prepared cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, beat 1/4 cup of room temperature unsalted butter in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar until fully incorporated.

Beat in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk or cream, one tablespoon at a time, until the frosting reaches a smooth, pipeable consistency.

Once the cupcakes are completely cool, pipe or spread the frosting on top. Decorate with 2 tablespoons of rainbow sprinkles before serving.