Classic Vanilla Cupcakes

Myself and Mat both managed to buy eggs for the weekend, meaning we had 14 (we had two left over from in the week) and as it was just over a bakers dozen I thought I better getting baking to make sure they were used up. I have not made any simple vanilla fairy cakes for ages, and I think the reason for this is the fail safe recipe I used as a kid just doesnt seem to work in my oven so I kind of just gave up on baking a good batch.

I turned to Dan Lepard's recipe book called Short and Sweet and decided to try the Vanilla Cupcake recipe from there. I usually use self raising but this recipe called for plain flour and baking powder and unusually suggested resting the mixture once it has been placed in the cases for 30 minutes before baking. The ingredients for the frosting were unusual too - double cream and condensed milk added to the usual suspects of butter and icing sugar.

The resting of the batter and the double sifting must have worked as they came out as perfectly domed beauties, making me glad I used some lovely foil patterned cases (they were from The Kitchen Shop in Lichfield).

The recipe makes too much icing even though I piled it as high as I could on the cakes. I choose to pipe it on for a more professional finish and decorate it with edible silver glitter and silver balls to highlight the cases. The icing is yummy, the condensed milk and cream add a richness and stops the texture being a little gritty as when you just do a classic butter cream.

Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes 8

Ingredients:


• 125g caster sugar 

• 125g unsalted butter, very soft
• 
2 eggs
• 
2 tsp vanilla essence

• 150g plain flour
• 
2 tsp baking powder

For the frosting
• 75g unsalted butter, very soft

• 250g icing sugar

• 75g sweetened condensed milk

• 75ml double cream

Method: 

• In the bowl of an upright electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla for three minutes on the highest speed until light and fluffy. Sift the flour and baking powder two or three times (this stops tunnels forming in the crumb), then add to the butter mix and beat for 30 seconds. Spoon into eight muffin cups placed in the pockets of a muffin tray, and set aside to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and firm. Leave to cool.

• For the frosting, get the butter as soft as possible without melting, then put in a bowl with the other ingredients. Whisk until smooth and fluffy, then top each cupcake with a thick swirl. The sugar in the frosting means it will keep at cool room temperature.