Eat * Bake

Vanilla Cup Cakes

Personally, when it comes to baking, I think my strengths have always been in the cupcake department. It was pretty much the first thing I baked on my own after leaving the nest, and well, its been more then 10 years since then and I think I've gotten pretty good at it! Excuse me while I toot my horn (ahem, ahem). 

But my Achilles' heel is my laziness in icing decoration and I do know I should put more effort into it, since part of 'cupcaking' is in how it looks. So, really it's still a work in progress. But if you can overlook my messy icing, trust me when I say it tastes amazing! This basic cupcake recipe is the base for all amazing cupcake recipes. Add lemon or apples, raisins and rum, add chocolate and coffee and you've got a winner. 

Ingredients:

Batter
150g butter (softened)
150g castor sugar
175g self-raising flour
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Butter Cream Icing
150g butter (softened)
250g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp hot water
(Food colouring optional)

1. Preheat oven to 180C and line a 12 cupcake pan with cupcake papers.
2. Crack the eggs into a cup and beat lightly with a fork.
3. Place all ingredients (for the batter) in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes until light and creamy.
4. Divide the mixture evenly between the cake cases. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until risen and firm to touch.
5. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Make sure the cupcakes are cooled fully before icing.
6. To make the butter cream icing, beat the butter and icing sugar in a bowl and add in hot water and vanilla extract until icing is light and fluffy. If you wish to add food colouring (I used rose pink), use a satay stick, tip it into the colouring and then stick the satay stick into the icing. Swirl the stick around for a few seconds before removing it. Stir the icing until well combined with the colouring. Repeat if you want a stronger colour.
7. To ice the cupcake, simply place a dollop of icing onto the cupcake and use a warm knife or spatula to spread it evenly. If you have the time, use a pastry bag to decorate instead. Enjoy!