I was in a baking mood yesterday and found the recipie for Magnolia's vanilla cupcakes. I read that this is the cupcake that they are famous for, so I wish I would have tried one in NY so I could have compared. My cupcakes turned out really well, but the frosting was not the same. The texture was off and I didn't think the flavor was quite right either. I noticed in the chocolate frosting recipie they tell you to sift the powdered sugar. The vanilla frosting recipie didn't say to sift it, so I didn't, but I wonder if that was the texture problem. It was a little too sugary for me, so next time I will try the vanilla cupcake with the chocolate frosting. I think this is the first time I have ever made a cake from scratch. It was pretty easy to make, so here are the links to the recipies.
Vanilla Cupcake and Frosting
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/magnolias-vanilla-cupcake-recipe/index.html
Chocolate Frosting
http://www.recipezaar.com/Chocolate-Buttercream-134704