Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a standard muffin tin with 6 cupcake liners.
In a microwave safe bowl, heat the milk for 30 seconds. Add the chopped butter and stir. Allow to sit for 2-3 minutes so the butter further softens.
While the milk and butter rest, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla and egg, mixing into a dry paste. Add the milk mixture until no dry spots remain.
Add the dry ingredients and blend until you no longer see streaks of butter, about 50-ish strokes.
Equally divide the cupcake batter into 6 muffin liners. They will be about half full. If you want larger cupcakes, pour the batter into 4 cupcake tins.
Bake for 14-16 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test. Remove the cupcakes and allow them to cool fully.
When cool, frost and decorate as desired.
Vanilla Frosting:
In a small bowl, mix together the softened butter and powdered sugar.
Add 2 tablespoons of the cream or milk, or more, until frosting is spreadable. Frosting using a piping bag, offset spatula or large plastic bag with the corner snipped off.
If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
This recipe works best with whole milk or 2%milk since it has a higher fat content. Cupcakes are small, only 2-3 bites. If you want a larger cupcake, use the same standard muffin tin, but only make 4 and bake for 1-2 minutes longer. Remove muffins right when they start to brown, overcooking can lead to rubbery cake.