Food Academy- Vanilla cupcakes with Butter cream icing and coloured fondant.

This recipe makes at least 15 medium size cupcakes or 12 large cupcakes.

Creaming the butter and sugar well is very important.
As is adding some flour and some milk at a time and mixing together before adding the rest.

The buttercream recipe makes a lot of icing so you could probably half the recipe and still have enough.

The fondant you can buy and mix in food colouring to create new colours. Roll out the fondant and cut shapes to place on your iced cupcakes.

Crabapple Bakery's Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes 12
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
100g softened unsalted butter
 3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

Method:
Preheat oven to 170.  Line two 12 hole muffin trays with cupcake papers.
Sift together the flour and baking powder.  In a separate bowl, cream the butter for 1-2 minutes.  Add the caster sugar a third at a time, beating for 2 minutes are each addition.  After the last addition, beat until the mixture is light and fluffy and the sugar has almost dissolved.  Add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition or until mixture is light and fluffy.  Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

Add a third of the flour to the creamed mixture and beat on a low speed until combined.  Add half of the milk and beat until combined.  Repeat this process.  Add the remaining third of the flour and beat until thoroughly combined; do not over beat as this will toughen the mixture.

Spoon mixture into cupcake papers, filling each about three-quarters full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a fine skewer inserted comes out clean.  Remove cupcakes from the trays immediately and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before frosting.

ButterCream icing

250g butter, soft

4 cups icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

2-3 Tbsp Milk/cream

Method

1. Beat the butter until soft and smooth.
2. Add 2 cups of icing sugar and beat until smooth.
3. Add the vanilla essence and milk/cream. Mix in.
4. Add the rest of the icing sugar (2 cups) and beat until smooth.
5. Place in a piping bag with a nozzle and pipe over the cool cupcakes.