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I am such a huge cupcake fan – something about the shape, the decoration, the miniature-ness of them is just so appealing. This basic cupcake batter not only makes great vanilla cakes, but is also a great base that can be made into lots of different treats.By adding a tablespoon or two of cocoa when sifting in flour and baking powder, you can make little chocolate cakes, and adding jam to the bottom of the tin makes delicious, moist upside-down cakes. They can be dressed up with piped butter-cream icing, or drizzled with melted chocolate to form a crisp choc-top.
Ingredients for the cupcakes (makes 30 small or 12 large cupcakes)
125g butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 eggs, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups self raising flour
1/4 cup milk
Method
The easiest way to make these is in a food processor. Be mindful not to over mix – the gluten will become overworked and stringy which will make for some very stodgy cakes. Once you add the flour, pulse until just combined.
Preheat oven to 180C
1. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla.
2. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each one.
3. Sift in flour, add milk and process for a few seconds until combined.
4. Divide the batter evenly across 30 small or 12 large patty cases.
5. Bake for around 10 – 15 minutes (time will vary on size of cupcakes) until light golden. Be careful not to overcook or they will dry out.
6. Cool on wire rack, then pipe with butter cream icing.
Ingredients for the butter-cream icing
150g butter
3-1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp cream
Few drops red food colouring
Method
1. Beat butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla and cream to achieve light and fluffy consistency. If it is a little thick, add water drop by drop.
*For chocolate butter-cream icing, add 1 tbsp cocoa when sifting icing sugar.
Once made, divide the butter-cream icing in half. Add a few drops of red food colouring to one half, leaving the remaining half white. Decorate alternate cupcakes pink and white.
For little upside-down jam cakes (makes 12)
1. Make cupcake batter as above, stopping at step 4.
2. Grease two six-piece friand tins (if you have them – if not muffin trays also work, but the tapered shape makes them harder to wrap afterwards).
3. Place a tablespoon or two of jam in the base of each form. I used apricot jam but you really can use anything – something a little tart is a nice contrast to the sweet, buttery-ness of the cupcakes.
4. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes – until golden.
5. Remove from oven and allow the cakes to cool a little in the tins, before taking out and cooling on wire rack.
6. When cool enough to handle, wrap each cake in a piece of baking paper and tie with string.
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I made both the vanilla cupcakes and the upside down jam cakes and they were delicious – although mine didn’t look quite so pretty! The tip about the friand tin for wrapping the jam cakes was great, I might have come unstuck using a normal tin. I’ve subsequently made the jam cakes as one large size cake and served hot with whipped cream for dessert – fabulous!
I saw this recipe last week and was going to try it at the weekend. However, visiting friends and children took over. I was wondering whether this mixture would be good for mini cupcakes? My daughter got a mini cupcake on a children’s platter on Saturday and I thought it would be a really good idea for at home.
Hi FJH,
This recipe would definitely work for mini cupcakes, just adjust the cook time accordingly. I would bake for 5-6 minutes and then check with a toothpick—if it comes out clean they are ready. Nothing is worse than dry, over cooked cake!
Let me know how they go.
These look insanely good! Great photography. Sounds delicious too. What’s not to love about a cupcake?
What a beautiful picture! I saw you on tastespotting and just had to click. I too am a huge cupcake fan and a basic recipe is always helpful. I love the idea of adding jam to the bottom, I had never thought of that before. Thank you!
What gorgeous cupcakes! I love cupcakes as well… probably my favorite at home dessert to make!
What a great idea F&P to have a food Blog, it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy about your products looking at those cake & recipes! Lovely photography and presentation.
What beautiful pink and white cupcakes! I’m a huge fan of the little cakeys too
I made these cupcakes AND their icing today, and after several previous failed attempts to have beautiful fluffy icing for piping your recipe has finally hit the nail on the head! Thank you! These are GORGEOUS
Thanks for your lovely comments everyone – Morgan I’m glad they were a success for you, I have made these so many times now and they always prove to be a hit! Happy baking everyone
I’ve been looking at these beautiful photos for months and finally made these cupcakes! I failed at the icing, which will probably take practice like Morgan (but luckily had store-bought icing in the fridge). But the cupcakes tasted amazing and I put in a slice of strawberry in the center of each and everyone loved them.
They’re so beautiful.
I would adamantly NOT recommend using a food processor: I think it entirely ruined this recipe for me! Very strange, dense texture… though the taste was not great either… ? :S
What a shame Katherine! I wonder if you over-mixed them if they had a very dense texture? I have made these many times with great success. Using a food processor makes this recipe very quick and easy, but you do have to be mindful not to over-process the flour or the gluten will become over worked, adversely affecting the texture of the cakes. I hope you have more success next time.
Lauren.