Vanilla Cupcakes

This is a very easy and tasty cupcake recipe. They are pretty irresistible and oh so light and fluffy, especially when you use an electric beater. Of course Monet thought the raw and the cooked mixture was delicious - it's hard to keep her little finger out of the mixture!

The original mixture asks for double the quantities I have here. I find this is enough mixture to make 18 mini cupcakes but if you were going to make large 'normal-sized' cupcakes, double the ingredients and you should end up with 18 large ones...

I iced mine using a basic butter icing recipe...

*Taken from Fergal Connolly's '500 Cupcakes'*

Ingredients

112g (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened

112g (4 oz) caster sugar

112g (4 oz) self-raising flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Method

Preheat oven to 175C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Line muffin/cupcake tins.

Place all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk (I used beaters) until smooth and pale, about 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon the mixture into the cases and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Remove the tins from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the cupcakes and cool on a rack.

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

White Chocolate & Strawberry Cupcakes

These cupcakes are just too irresistible to knock back... Just ask Monet and myself for that matter!!
I actually halved the recipe as otherwise I would have had cupcakes coming out of my ears. To make the original recipe, double my stated ingredients...

*Taken from Fergal Connolly's '500 Cupcakes'*

Ingredients
-for the cupcakes-
110g (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
110g (4 oz) caster sugar
110g (4 oz) self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 tsp strawberry essence
50 g (2 oz) white chocolate chips

-for the icing-
100g (3 1/2 oz) cream cheese, softened
90g (3 oz) icing sugar, sieved
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2 tbs unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 tbs chopped fresh strawberries

Method
Preheat the oven to 175C / 350F / Gas mark 4. Line muffin tins. (I made 21 mini cupcakes)

Combine the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, eggs and essence in a bowl. Beat with an electric beater until light and creamy, about 2 - 3 minutes. Stir in the choc chips. Spoon the batter into the cases. Bake for approximately 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before removing the cupcakes onto a rack to cool.

To make the icing, beat the cream cheese, icing sugar, essence and butter until smooth and creamy. Stir in the chopped strawberries. Spread on top of the cooled cupcakes.