Easy Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

“I’ve never met a problem a proper cupcake couldn’t fix.” 
~ Sarah Ockler, Bittersweet

Don’t you love Bert’s sweet little face sneakily captured in the cupcake photo above? He was seriously hoping that I would turn my back for just one moment…

That’s how much everyone wants one of these cupcakes!

This is a standard, moist vanilla cupcake that will decorate well. The icing(frosting) I made for these cupcakes has a sweet caramel-maple flavour which is rich without being overpowering. Best eaten within 24 hours of making, and they do freeze well too, but honestly, they won’t last that long.

Ingredients to make 12:

125g softened butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste or essence, 3/4 cup caster sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 and 1/2 cups self raising flour (self-rising for my USA friends or make with these ratios: for every 1 cup of all purpose flour add 1 and 1/2 x teaspoons baking powder and a pinch of salt, sifted together), 1/2 cup milk

Method:

*Preheat oven. For a smooth top cook at 190 degrees celcius (375 degrees fahrenheit) and for a peaked top cook at 210 degrees celcius (410 degrees fahrenheit)

Line a 12 hole cupcake tin with cupcake papers.

Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together until the mixture is pale, light and creamy in texture. The sugar should be completely dissolved. Make sure your butter is soft, or this step will take all day.

Now add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Lastly, fold in (that means add to the mixture and gently mix with a spoon, rather than beating madly) half the flour and milk, and the repeat with the other half of the flour and milk. Folding the flour and milk in gently will keep the mixture light and fluffy.

Spoon the mixture into the cupcake papers.

Bake for 15 minutes. Lick spoon and bowl clean while you wait. (The best bit!)

Remove from heat and cool cupcakes on a wire rack.

Brown Sugar and Maple Syrup Buttercream Icing Recipe

Ingredients:

125 grams softened butter, 2 cups of icing sugar, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, 1/3 cup of soft brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of boiling water.

Note: For a plain vanilla icing, omit brown sugar and maple syrup and add one teaspoon of vanilla and a few drops of colour of your choice.

Method:

Beat butter until whipped and then gradually add icing sugar, 1/2 a cup at a time, beating well after each addition. If mixture becomes too thick, add up to a tablespoon of boiling water, beat well and then continue adding sugar. You may not need all of the boiling water. When the icing is very thick and creamy add the brown sugar and maple syrup and continue to beat until icing is very thick and smooth. Spoon or pipe onto top of cupcakes.

You can also decorate these cupcakes with small candy decorations, sprinkles, nuts or choc-chips. We used pirate decorations today, because… well… PIRATES! 🙂