These oh-so-trendy cupcakes, definitely have the wow factor – and they are so easy to make, too. They can be prepared ahead and are suitable for freezing too.
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
Cooking time: 20 Minutes
Makes 12 cupcakes
185g (6.5oz) self-raising flour
1 level tsp baking powder
185g (6.5oz) caster sugar
185g (6.5oz) butter, softened
1tsp vanilla extract
3 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
for the frosting:
300g (5oz) full-fat cream cheese
300g (5oz) icing sugar, sifted
you will need:
1 x 12-hole muffin tray, lined with paper cases, food colouring and decorations
1 Preheat the oven to 180 C, 160 C fan, 350 F, gas 4. Sift the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar, butter and vanilla extract with an electric whisk until light and fluffy.
2 Gradually whisk in the eggs, then with a large metal spoon, gradually add the flour.
3 Fill each paper case in the tray with 1 generous tablespoon of the mixture. Place the tray in the preheated oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until slightly golden on top. Remove the cupcakes from the tray and leave to cool on a wire rack.
4 To make the cream-cheese frosting, mix together the cream cheese and icing sugar in a large bowl. Divide the mixture among the same number of small bowls as you want colours. Add a little of the colour gradually until you achieve the shade you require. See Colouring cupcakes (below) for more tips and advice on colouring.
5 Decorate each cupcake with cream-cheese frosting and your chosen decorations. We used disposable piping bags with a large star nozzle to pipe. Begin on the outside, moving to the centre and upwards in a concentric circle. You can decorate the cupcakes the day before serving and leave them in the fridge, or you can freeze them for up to one month undecorated.
Per cake: 356 calories, 21g fat (8g saturated), 41g carbohydrate
Colouring cupcakes
In times gone by we would have called these fairy cakes, but it seems we've adopted the American term cupcakes. Traditionally, cupcakes were made with canola oil which we know as rapeseed, but butter works just as well.
For colouring the icing, you can use all sorts, from colourings bought in the supermarket or specialist cake decorating shops, or syrups and liqueurs. For example, you could use crème de menthe for green, blue curaçao for blue, chocolate essence for chocolate, grenadine syrup for pink and toffee sauce for caramel. Just add a little at a time until you reach the required shade. With ready-made cake colours, use them sparingly or they'll end up rather garish!
