I Can't Resist!

She's right, you know! What can I say... I can't resist! How could you? The cupcake is a glorious thing! Miniature (I adore all things small!), the realms for creativity are boundless and even when plain they are perfect! So I have started you off with the recipes that I use! Ha ha, bring on National Cupcake Week (a whole week.....love it!!) So whip out your pinnie, grab your cupcake cases and get practising! The Perfect Cupcake Recipe (Nigella's....naturally!) INGREDIENTS 125g self-raising flour 125g caster sugar 125g soft unsalted butter 2 eggs Half a teaspoon real vanilla extract Approximately 2 tablespoons milk METHOD 1. Preheat the oven to 200C and line the tin with the muffin cases. 2. It couldn't be simpler to make cup cakes: just put all the ingredients except for the milk in the processor and then blitz till smooth. 3. Pulse while adding milk, to make for a soft, dropping consistency, down the funnel. Or using a bowl and wooden spoon, cream the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs one at a time with a little of the flour. 4. Then add the vanilla extract and fold in the rest of the flour, adding the milk to get the dropping consistency as before. 5. I know it looks as if you'll never make this scant mixture fit 12 bun cases, but you will. I promise you this mixture is exactly right to make the 12 cup cakes, so just spoon and scrape the stuff in, trying to fill each case equally, judging by eye only of course. 6. Put in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cup cakes are cooked and golden on top. As soon as bearable, take the cup cakes in their cases out of the tin and let cool, right way up, on a wire rack. Vanilla Butter Icing Ingredients Enough for 2 layers in one 18 = 20 cm cake 2 1/4 cup (250 g) icing sugar (confectioners sugar) 1 stick (8 tbsp) 4 oz (112 g) softened butter 1/2 tsp vanilla essence 1 tbsp milk Method 1. Mix the vanilla essence with the milk 2. Sift the icing sugar and add gradually to the butter with the milk 3. beat until the icing is smooth and of a soft consistency Looking forward to sharing a cuppa and a cupcake (and another and an another....ooooooh one more) with you! x