15 minute cupcakes

ingredients

• 15 minute cupcakes

  • 130 gram butter, softened
  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 2 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • packaged vanilla frosting or buttercream, plus pearls, sprinkles etc, to decorate

• Buttercream frosting

  • 100 gram soft butter
  • 2 cup icing sugar
  • squeeze of lemon juice
  • 2.5 tablespoon hot water

method

• • 1

    Preheat oven to 175°C. Line a medium 12-hole muffin tray with colourful paper cases.

  • 2

    In the bowl of an electric beater, combine the butter, sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla,  then sift over the flour, baking powder and soda.

  • 3

    Beat on low speed for 1 minute, then stop and scrape down the sides. Beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until thoroughly mixed, pale and creamy.

  • 4

    Spoon mixture into the paper cases, filling each to just over half. Bake for 12-15 minutes until puffed and golden, and the centre bounces back when lightly touched. Let cupcakes cool completely before icing with frosting and decorating.

  • 5

    To make the buttercream frosting, cream butter until fluffy with an electric beater. Add icing sugar and lemon juice, then enough hot water to make a fluffy frosting.

notes

For chocolate cupcakes, omit 1 tbsp flour and add 1 tbsp cocoa when sifting the flour. Add chocolate chips, or stir through frozen blueberries or raspberries For parties, add food colouring and essence to the mix for fun – ie: green colouring and mint essence, or tinting the frosting to go with your theme.