Sunday 19 September 2010

National Cupcake Week ~ Vanilla Cupcakes

This week has been National Cupcake Week to celebrate our love of cupcakes and the many wonderful and delicious recipes. I have a serious love affair with cupcakes and my kitchen is testament to it, I even named my pink kitchenaid mixer Cupcake. I haven’t baked any pretty cupcakes in a while and I wasn’t going to miss out on this perfect opportunity. I have tons of cupcake cookbooks but there was only one recipe in my mind and one that I felt that was only right that I baked, the Vanilla Cupcakes that Jules aka Rosie presented for our monthly bake at Sweet and Simple Bakes. Jules was a cupcake lover too and these cupcakes will forever remind me of my dear friend whom I miss. So I dedicate these cupcakes to her memory. As you can see these cupcakes are pink, girly and totally delish!



Vanilla Cupcakes

Makes 12

Ingredients
175g (6 oz) self-raising flour
1½ level tsp baking powder
175g (6 oz) butter, softened
175g (6 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
3 large eggs
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Buttercream Icing
150g (5oz) butter, softened
300g (11 oz) icing (confectioners) sugar, sifted
1 tbsp milk
¼ tsp vanilla extract
Edible food colouring(s) of choice, optional
Sprinkle(s) for decoration of choice

You will also require 12 holed muffin tin lined with 12 paper muffin cases

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Sift the self-raising flour and baking powder into a large bowl, and then add the butter, caster sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla extract. Beat together until well mixes, trying not to over mix the mixture. Spoon the mixture equally into the prepared paper cases and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then turn out to completely cool on a wire rack.

To make the buttercream, beat the butter until soft. Add the icing sugar and stir until it’s just mixed in, then add the milk and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Divide into as many bowls as you want different colour(s) and add edible food colouring (you only require a few drops). This is purely optional should you wish to leave out the edible food colouring(s) and keep the buttercream natural. Spread the icing on thickly with a palette knife on top of each cupcake or put the icing into a piping back and make a large swirl on top of each cupcake. Decorate each cupcake with your chosen sprinkle(s).


21 comments:

Katiecakes said...

They are beautiful! I love the daisies.

Katie xox

Rhyleysgranny said...

They are just beautiful. Rosie would have loved them. I love these cupcake stands.

Gloria Baker said...

These cupcakes are absolutely beuatiful MarĂ­a, I love your cup of coffe too! xx gloria

Abitofafoodie said...

How pretty and lovely. Bet they are delicious too. Was so very sad to hear the news about Rosie (Jules). xx

Scented Sweetpeas said...

scrummy, what a great way to be remembered too - for your fab cupcakes - so sweet.

Jean said...

I have only just started baking cupcakes - these look beautiful so I will give your recipe a try.

I actually bought and ate a gorgeous cupcake in a teashop yesterday. The tell-tale glitter that stuck to my lips made it impossible to deny the indulgence afterwards !!

Caroline said...

They're very pretty Maria, the perfect way to celebrate the end of cupcake week!

Finla said...

I still very often think aobut Rosie,when I look through my bundle of recipes which i have printed from thenet, i see her recipes too but till now I have not made none of her recipes anymore as i know it will make me sad, i think i will wait a bit till i go to her blog. Even though I love looking through her blog.
I love that stand I have been eyeing it for mmong but have not bought them yet :-)
These look so so beautiul and delicous.

Jemima said...

Very pretty, I love the peach colour, what colouring did you use?

Brownieville Girl said...

They look really fantastic - super pretty and girlie!!

I'm drinking from my "desperate housewife" mug as I read ... do you think our friends are trying to tell us something!!!!!?

Maria♥ said...

I used a pink colour paste and they are actually a baby pink colour but they do look a tad peachy in the pics. Sometimes images show slightly skewed colours on different screens.

Thanks for the lovely comments everyone.

Maria
x

Lucie said...

Adorable CCs! So pretty and girly. Rosie definitely would have loved these, bless her. Hugs xxx

Kate said...

ahhh, for some reason ive never been a cupcake fan, but these look like a mustbake!

I really love that cupcake stand!

Great choice!
:)

busygran said...

Pink cupcakes on a pink stand! They are so sweet-looking!
I read about Rosie and what a beautiful way to remember her as she loved baking.

The Caked Crusader said...

Beautiful cupcakes and a most fitting tribute.

Elizabeth said...

Lovely,lovely. Where did you get the cupcake rack?

Maria♥ said...

@ Elizabeth, I bought my pink cupcake stand from Robert Dyas in the UK.

Maria
x

Nic's Notebook said...

Yum, I want one! I am printing out this recipe to try it :)

Chele said...

Such pretty presentation - perfect for a cuppa with the girls ;0)

Choclette said...

These are beautiful and girlie and I love them - especially the daisies. A lovely testament to Rosie.

Maggie said...

A little late with this comment!
The cupacakes look really pretty. I too miss Jules and the good humoured banter we exchanged.