Red Velvet Cupcakes

The cream cheese icing goes really well with these cupcakes. Or if you're not a fan, just use regular buttercream.


Ingredients:

• 60g butter
• 1 egg
• 150g caster sugar
• 10g cocoa
• 10ml red food colouring
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 120ml buttermilk
• 150g plain flour
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ tsp white wine vinegar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C
2. Cream the butter, sugar and egg until light and fluffy.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the cocoa powder, food colouring and vanilla. Once mixed add to the creamed mixture.
4. Mix carefully until combined and then add half the buttermilk. Mix further and add half the flour and the baking powder. Mix thoroughly before adding the remainder of the buttermilk and flour and mixing further.
5. Add the white wine vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix thoroughly.
6. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 mins or until the cupcakes spring back slightly when touched.
7. Allow the cupcakes to cool slightly before turning out onto a wire cooling rack.

Cream Cheese Icing

• 300g icing sugar
• 50g butter
• 125g cream cheese

1. Cream the icing sugar, butter and cream cheese together until well mixed. Continue beating until light and fluffy.
2. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.

Mocha Cupcakes with Espresso Icing

For fans of coffee cake, these cupcakes are seriously good. It's worth using really good coffee for them.


Ingredients:

• 150g butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 50g dark Muscovado sugar
• 3 eggs
• 125g plain flour
• 25g cocoa powder
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp espresso, cooled (or 1 tsp good instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water, then cooled)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160C
2. Cream the butter with the sugars until smoothly blended. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions.
3. Sprinkle in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda and fold in until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the mixture.
4. Add the cooled strong coffee and the vanilla essence and mix until incorporated.
5. Divide the mixture between the 12 cupcake cases and bake for 18 – 20 mins or until risen and golden.
6. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Leave to cool completely before adding the frosting.

Espresso icing

• 150g butter
• 300g icing sugar
• 1 tbsp coffee as above

 Method:

1. Beat the butter together with one third of the icing sugar.
2. Add the rest of the icing sugar and the cooled coffee and continue beating until light and fluffy.
3. Pipe onto the cupcakes.

Vanilla Cupcakes

These cupcakes are so easy to make and always turn out light and moist.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz butter
• 4 oz caster sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 4 oz self raising flour
• 2 tablespoons milk

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 12 hole muffin tin.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs a little at a time and stir in the vanilla extract.
3. Sieve the flour and fold in carefully.
4. Add a little milk until you reach a dropping consistency.
5. Spoon the mixture into the cases until they are half full.
6. Bake for 10-15 mins until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.
7. Cool for 10 mins in the tin and then remove and allow to cool fully.

Buttercream Icing

Ingredients:

• 5oz butter
• 10oz icing sugar
• 1-2 tbsp milk
• Food colouring

Method:

1. Beat the butter until soft.
2. Sieve the icing sugar and add half to the butter.
3. Beat until smooth.
4. Add the rest of the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
5. Add a little milk to get a consistency right for piping.
6. Add food colouring and mix well.