Desserts and Baking – Vanilla Cupcakes


Ingredients (makes 12)


Cupcakes y 175 g butter, softened y 175 g caster sugar y 175 g self-raising flour y ½ teaspoon baking powder y 3 eggs y 1 teaspoon vanilla extract y 1–3 tablespoons milk


Method Cupcakes


1. Preheat the oven to 200 ºC/gas mark 6. Place 12 muffin cases in a muffin tin.


2. Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream until light and fluffy using an electric mixer.


3. Sieve the flour and baking powder onto a separate bowl or plate. 4. Beat the eggs and vanilla extract in a small bowl with a fork. 5. Add a little of the egg into the butter and sugar. Mix well with the electric mixer. 6. Add a few spoons of sieved flour and mix well. 7. Continue until all the eggs and flour are incorporated. (If the mixture is too thick, add a little milk to reach dropping consistency.)


8. Using an ice-cream scoop or two spoons, fill each case with the mixture until ¾ full. 9. Bake for 15–20 minutes or until the cupcakes are well-risen and golden brown.


Vanilla buttercream 10. Meanwhile, place the butter in a mixing bowl and beat it with an electric whisk until soft.


11. Sieve half the icing sugar into the butter and beat for a few minutes. Add the remaining icing sugar, milk and vanilla. Beat for a few minutes to form a light, fluffy icing.


Assembly


12. Remove the cupcakes from the oven. Remove them from the tray and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.


13. Put the icing into a piping bag fitted with your chosen nozzle. Swirl the icing onto the cupcakes by starting on the outside of the cupcake and continuing into the centre.


Variations Lemon cupcakes: add the zest of 1 lemon to the cupcake mixture. Use lemon juice instead of


vanilla in the icing and add 1 drop of yellow food dye.


Strawberry cupcakes: add ½ teaspoon of strawberry essence to the cupcakes and 1 drop of red food dye to the icing. Top with a fresh strawberry.


Rainbow cupcakes: divide the cupcake batter into four bowls and add a tiny drop of different food dyes to each, e.g. purple, blue, yellow, red. Add a little of each colour to each cupcake.


@HOME 107


Vanilla buttercream y 175 g butter, softened y 350 g icing sugar y 1–2 tablespoons milk y ½ teaspoon vanilla extract


Equipment


y Muffin tin y 12 muffin cases y Weighing scales y Mixing bowl y Electric mixer y Sieve


y Measuring spoons


y Bowl or plate y Small bowl y Fork


y Ice-cream scoop or 2 spoons


y Wire rack


y Piping bag fitted with nozzle


Food For Thought


Watch www.educateplus.ie/ go/cupcake-piping for tips on icing cupcakes.


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