Last Fall, a Slashfood reader (thanks Kate!) introduced me to the book Small-Batch Baking by Debby Maugans Nakos in the comment of a post about Flight of the Conchords and Lasagna for One (go read the post if that sentence sounds like Greek to you). I ordered the book sometime soon after she mentioned it, but I didn't get around to using any of the recipes until last week.

Friday night, Scott expressed a longing for cupcakes. Normally I would have just smiled and said "that's unfortunate," but I was feeling sort of generous and so decided to pull out the book and see what I could come up with. There was a recipe in the book for "Just Plain Good Cupcakes" that made exactly four little cakes. I had all the necessary ingredients and so I gave it a try. And they were perfect cupcakes - light, fluffy and moist. I was actually grateful that there weren't more, as it was hard to stop eating them (the recipe is after the jump).

The cupcakes were easy, because I could bake them up in traditional muffin tins. There are also recipes in the book for tiny cakes that get baked in well-cleaned tin cans and mini-loaf pans. I'm already looking forward to trying some of the other recipes in the book, as it's a great way to satisfy a dessert craving without having to make something that serves 12.

Just Plain Good Cupcakes

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 buttermilk
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Yolk of 1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

1 standard 6-well muffin pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line four of the muffin cups with paper liners.

Combine the buttermilk and baking soda in a small bowl and stir to mix. Gently whisk in the egg yolk and vanilla.

Place flour, sugar and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk to blend well. Add the butter and half of the buttermilk mixture. Beat with a hand-held mixer on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the speed ot medium and beat until the mixture is lightened and has slightly increased in volume, about 45 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Pour in the remaining buttermilk mixture and beat on medium speed until well blended, 20 seconds.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing it evenly among them. Fill the empty muffin cups halfway with water to prevent them from scorching. Back the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean, 20 to 23 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool the muffins on a rack. When they are cool enough to handle, frost them with you favorite frosting.