Birthday Cupcakes...

I am not a natural or confident baker, but I'm trying. Considering it doesn't come naturally to me and I don't have a lot of time on my hands I'm always on the look out for easy and quick recipes. 

I'm not adverse to packet mix's at all (in fact I used packet for family last weekend - it's fool proof, quick and you know they work) but on E's actual birthday I wanted to make some cupcakes from scratch for us to celebrate that night as a family. I found this recipe for easy and classic cupcakes on Taste and found it worked well. Naturally I made them pink and decorated with hundreds and thousands...

The recipe is really simple and goes as follows...

Ingredients;

Cupcakes

2 cups self-raising flour (sifted)

3/4 cup of caster sugar

3/4 cup milk

125g butter, melted, cooled

2 eggs (beaten)

1 tsp natural vanilla essence

Icing

1 1/2 cups pure icing sugar

Food colouring of your choice

Water to mix - start with 1 tbsp and add slowly until desired consistency is reached.

What ever your heart desires to decorate your cakes.

Method;

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. 

Grease or line (with cupcake cases) a 12 x muffin pan

Combine flour and caster sugar in a bowl, stir to combine.

Add milk, butter, eggs and vanilla to the flour and sugar mixture and stir with a spoon to combine.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin and bake for 10 - 12 minutes (insert a skewer into the centre of a cupcake to check they're cooked - it will come out clean when they're cooked) The cupcakes will also bounce back slightly when pressed gently in the centre.

Leave the cupcakes in the tin for 5 minutes to cool then turn out onto a wire rack.

To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and slowly add the water. Stiring to combine and continue to add water until the desired consistency is reached. 

Spoon the mixture onto the cupcakes and decorate with your chosen items.

Enjoy them!!

On a side note... look at the gorgeous sweetpeas. They were a gift to E from her Grandparents... her first bouquet of flowers. It was a happy coincidence they matched the cupcake icing perfectly. Better lucky than good some say!

Got a cupcake recipe you can share?...
Are you like me and feel like you've made more of an effort because you've made them from scratch?...
Are you like me and happy to use packet when time and confidence are an issue?...

Jx

All photos copyright of Jessica Flett