Cupcakes for Everyone

A cupcake is a handful of joy.
Perfect for pretty parties.
Divine as decadent daytime delights.
Lovely for ladies who lunch.

You don't have to be a professional to make gorgeous cupcakes. Frosting disguises a multitude of sins and with a bit of cleverness and some sweets, hey presto! Cupcakes to brighten up any party table.

Here's my never-fail recipe, adapted from the good ole Edmonds Cookbook...

INGREDIENTS
125g butter, softened {convert measurement}
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup caster sugar (fine grain)
2 eggs
1 cup standard flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup milk

To make gluten free: Substitute Flour with Gluten Free baking mix e.g. Bakels or Healtheries
To make dairy free: Substitute butter with dairy-free spread e.g. Olivani and substitute milk with soy or rice milk

METHOD

• Cream butter sugar and vanilla together; I use a good old fashioned electric hand beater (works a treat)
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one is added
• Fold flour and baking powder into creamed mixture
• Stir in Milk
• Spoon into baking tins (patty pans) lined with cupcake papers
• Bake at 190oC (375oF) for 15 minutes or until golden and cakes spring back when lightly touched

Makes 12 regular or 24 mini cupcakes.

{ready-made icing roses turn simple cupcakes into something beautiful}

Hint: Cupcake papers
Don't bake your cupcakes in the special papers you spent all that money on. Bake them in the El Cheapo supermarket ones... and then slip the pretty ones on over top, when its time to display them. The baking process discolours the paper and ruins them visually. 

{Cupcakes look pretty on a tiered cake plate}

Easy Peasy Butter Cream Frosting


INGREDIENTS
100g butter, softened
Vanilla essence
icing sugar
food colouring

• Start beating the butter and vanilla with your electric beater
• slowly add icing sugar until it tastes good
• whip it some more
• add colour, whip it even more
• that's it!

{Cupcakes & peanutbuttercream frosting by Delissimon, Mmmmmm}

Butter cream frosting looks amazing all on its own when piped onto cupcakes, rather than spread with a knife. Disposable piping kits can be bought at the supermarket very cheaply, and work absolutely fine.

{Dairy Free cupcakes & frosting}

To make this dairy free: Substitute butter with a dairy free spread like Olivani. Food colouring added to dairy free butter frosting will curdle and separate, looking awful. I recommend leaving the icing plain white and colouring it by sprinkling coloured dusting sugar on top... or make it chocolate by adding cocoa powder.

Decorating Cupcakes

The sky is the limit when it comes to decorating cupcakes. Plain piped butter icing looks fab on its own, or with a few silver cachous sprinkled on, or dusting sugar.

To make cupcakes even more special, add a rose made out of fondant icing (easier than they look; brilliant easy to follow instructions here)

Paper lace cupcake papers are super-easy to make using the paper lace edges from Dollar Store paper doilies. Just trim the edges off and wrap around the cupcake. Hold in place with a dab of hot glue and then trim the excess. Voila! A beautiful Lacey Cupcake Paper ♥

Or make these super cute Green Martian Cupcakes (from Toy Story)

These guys are too cute... and very simple to make!

1. Make a bright green butter icing and smooth a round swirl on top of each cupcake (Tip: hold the knife steady and turn the cupcake to get a nice round shape)
2. Use white mini-marshmallows sliced in half for the eyes. Slice triangular slivers from soft green sweets to create antennae.
3. Use a squeeze tubes of gel writing icing (silver) for the eyes and mouth (available from the supermarket). Too easy.

Have fun making beautiful, delicious cupcakes.

{What's your favourite kind?}