Creamy Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place cupcake liners in each cup of your muffin trays (recipe makes roughly 36); set pans aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5 to 6 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until creamy, occasionally scraping down sides of the bowl using a spatula.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, mix together cream/half-and-half, vanilla and vanilla bean seeds.

With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture, alternating with cream mixture into the butter and sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour; beat until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared muffin pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the cakes comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before removing from pan.

For the frosting:
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment cream the butter until smooth. Add the salt and the sugar a little at a time until thick and incorporated.

Add the vanilla and whisk until combined (if you prefer you can simmer the vanilla extract or bourbon for a minute to eliminate the alcohol).

Slowly add the heavy cream a few tablespoons at a time, whisking until fulling combined before the next addition. Continue adding the cream until the frosting is light and fluffy and the consistency you need. I like mine a little on the loose side for piping but you may not need all of the cream if you like it a little thicker. It will just depend on your preferences.

Once the cupcakes are completely cool you are ready to pipe or frost them! If you want to wait to ice them until the next day, store the cupcakes in a plastic Ziploc bag to keep them moist. But you can certainly pipe them right away if you are ready to!