There are those days when you are craving to bite into something sweet and delicious and there has to be cake somewhere in between. Who has time then to start a cake, cool it down and frost it! Not on the day the craving takes over.
What do you do? Cupcakes of course! Quick to make, easy to decorate and gone in 60 seconds!
Ingredients (makes 12 cupcakes)
- 125g softened butter
- 3/4c caster sugar
- 1c self-raising flour
- 1 TB cornflour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract/essence
- 1/4 c milk
- 2 eggs
Method
- Line a 12-hole muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
- In a large mixing bowl measure out all ingredients.
- Using an electric beater beat all ingredients till smooth, pale and well combined.
- Scrape down sides of mixing bowl so that all the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Using a tablespoon and a teaspoon to help guide the mixture into the liners, fill the liners till 2/3’s full.
- Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes till the cupcakes are well risen, golden brown in colour and springy to the touch.
- Cool in pan for about 5 minutes before removing and placing on a wire rack to completely cool down.
Vanilla Buttercream
- 125g softened butter
- 11/2 c sifted icing sugar
- 1/4 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-3 TB milk/cream
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric beater, beat butter till light and creamy.
- Add sifted icing sugar in 2 batches, beating well in between each addition.
- Add salt.
- Add vanilla and milk.
- Add milk a tablespoon at a time. You want the consistency to be like a soft-serve ice cream. Sometimes, in hot weather you may not need any milk as the icing becomes soft very quickly.
- Add a drop of food colouring to add some extra prettiness to the cupcakes.
- Using a large star nozzle, pipe swirls of delicious buttercream over cupcakes.
- If you don’t have time for all of that, grab a spatula and dollop frosting on top of cake. Smooth over.