I'm still searching for the perfect yellow cupcake. I came across this post on the 52 cupcakes blog. http://52cupcakes.blogspot.com/2006/05/billys-vanilla-vanilla-cupcakes-with.html. Apparently the Billy's recipe was on Martha Stewart, but I've seen a number of articles listing the Magnolia recipe.

Has anyone tried either the Billy's or the Magnolia Recipe? What was your impression? I want to try one or the other today, but I'm getting tired of trying recipes that aren't good!

Billy's Vanilla, Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes about 30 cupcakes
1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Magnolia Bakery
1 1/2 C self rising flour
1 1/4 C all purpose flour
1 C butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 c milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

I've never tried Magnolia's, but I use Billy's all the time. However, it is not a true yellow cake. It is more of a white vanilla cake. I really like the taste and consistency and others I have made it for love it. One bit of advice: it makes a large batch of batter, but don't be tempted to overfill your cupcake liners. Don't fill them over half full or they will overtop while baking and be impossible to remove from your trays.

Update: I tried Billy's today. I must have overfilled even though I went with 2/3 full like the recipe, because they did run over the tops of the liners, flatten out, and make a huge sticky mess! Getting them out was pretty much impossible because they had stuck to each other and the pan.

The recipe says bake at 325. The first batch took much longer to cook and were very flat. I did the second batch at 350, and the ones that weren't too full domed nicely. As for the taste, they were okay. They reminded me a lot of the no fail sugar cookies, except too "floury" tasting for cupcakes.

I made a different recipe yesterday (America's Test Kitchen Yellow Cake Mix which I attempted to turn into cupcakes) and had the same problems with overflowing, but the taste was excellent. This recipe had less flour, sugar and milk so I think I'll try to see if I can get the two to meet in the middle.

Did I mention I hate trying to find a go-to recipe! I just want it to work the first time... I'm not a very patient baker!

Oops...guess I didn't get the warning to you early enough! Another thing about Billy's: to me they are much better the second day. They actually seem to get more moist as they age. And while I too am a pretty impatient baker, I've learned how to make the Billy's recipe work...I use it as a base for all kinds of cupcakes (strawberry, lemon, blueberry, etc.) as well as plain vanilla.

I've never baked Magnolia's recipe but I've been to their NYC shop and tasted one first hand.

To me they were dry, tasteless and nothing special, so I'll assume if that's the recipe they really use it would be similar.

I have eaten Billy's vanilla and made Billy's vanilla and either way it is a dry cupcake.Not one I would get again. Magnolia's vanilla , though nothing special, was at least more moist.
I can't remember if I have ever made Magnolia's vanilla but it certainly isn't my go to recipe. I love the Mermaid Bakery yellow cake recipe from here. Very moist and buttery.

I have made Billy's several times and will never make them again. You have to be so careful about filling them, and they bake very flat. They are a huge PITA, and I end up throwing more away than I end up using.

Here is my favorite recipe so far:
http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/10/28/vanilla-cupcakes-vanilla-buttercream-frosting/

I've heard this one is really good too (and I love her blog) but I haven't tried the recipe:
http://glorioustreats.blogspot.com/2011/07/perfect-vanilla-cupcakes-recipe.html