vanilla pudding cupcakes

i didn't know what to bake for a company christmas party, so i asked the kid i'm working with and he suggested cupcakes. i usually don't bake vanilla cupcakes so i decided to try these. they were very flavorful vanilla cupcakes even without the vanilla bean. they cake itself taste pretty buttery even though there is no butter in them.

vanilla bean cupcakes

32-36 cupcake papers

3 1/2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla pudding mix

1 3/4 cups plus

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups canola or vegetable oil

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoons vinegar

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup warm water

Seeds from half a vanilla bean

Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange paper cups in muffin tins. Sift flour, baking soda, salt and pudding mix into large bowl. Using an electric mixer on low, mix sugar, oil and buttermilk until blended. Add lightly beaten eggs, vinegar, vanilla and water and blend. Gradually add dry ingredients. Scrape the seed from the vanilla bean into batter and mix until just blended.

Spoon batter into tins, about 3/4 full. Bake cupcakes, 1 sheet at a time, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18-23 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to racks and cool before frosting.

Vanilla Bean Frosting

8 Tablespoons (one stick) softened butter

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 pound (3 3/4 cups) confectioners sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 pinches salt

Seeds from half a vanilla bean

In a small bowl, combine butter and whipping cream. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the butter. Beat until smooth. Beat in sugar 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Finally, beat in vanilla extract. If frosting is too soft to work with, refrigerate 10 minutes.

(i also added some vanilla pudding mix into the frosting)