This recipe is my version of the cupcake recipe from the Caked Crusader blogger, given at the back of this book – ( a great book with mouth watering recipes if you ask me).

I have adapted the caked crusader’s recipe because of one reason only, like any other cupcake lover, I love icing!

However, I’m not a fan of the buttery taste that icing can sometimes have. So, for one batch I added a zest of a lemon (zest of an orange can work too) to make it a little tangy and also disguise the buttery taste. For the second batch of cupcakes, I added some melted chocolate and voila!.. I made chocolate icing, very yummy if I may say so myself.

 

You will also see from the pictures that I have decorated my cupcakes. This batch was for my little sisters birthday party so I added some hundrends and thousands, marshmellows, cocoa powder and mini purple and pink elephant decorations.

Cupcakes are very easy to make and with a little bit of decorating and an icing bag, they will look great and lets face it, everyone loves cupcakes.

How to make cupcakes yummyfood style:

Ingredients – Makes about 12 Cupcakes:

• 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 125g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 125g self-raising flower, sifted
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp milk

For the Lemon zest buttercream:

• 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 250g of icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• splash of milk
• zest of 1 lemon (1/2 if you are not a big fan of lemon)

For the chocolate icing, remove the lemon zest and add 2 strips of melted chocolate ( Use your favourite milk chocolate for extra yumminess)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C / fan oven 170°C / gas mark 5
2. line a cupcake pan with cupacke papercases ( I tend to use different coloured papercases, it looks cutter when presenting the cupackes)
3. Beat the butter and sugar together (this can be by hand or using a electric whisk) until they are smooth, fluffy and pale. This will take a few minutes even with soft butter. Don’t stop whisking as this is where you get air into the mix, making your cupcakes, nice and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, flour, vanilla and milk and beat until smooth.
5. Now all you have to do, is spoon the mix into the papercases and place the tray in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes without opening the oven door. after the 12 minutes check, if the skewer comes out clean the cupcakes are ready if not bake for a few more minutes.
6. As soon as the cupcakes are ready, take them out of the oven and out of the tin. The cupcakes will continue to cook if left in the tin. Place the cupcakes in a wire rack for about 30minutes to cool down.

For the buttercream:

1. Beat the butter in a bowl (I tend to do this using a wooden spoon) until light and fluffy. It will start to look almost like whipped cream.
2. Add the icing sugar (Tip Alert! – Go gentle or you will cover yourself, anyone around you and your kitchen with icing sugar from the cloud of dust) beat until light and fluffy.
3. Keep mixing until the butter and sugar are combined and smooth; a little tip, the best way to see if the butter and sugar are combined is to place a small amount of the mix on your tongue and press it up against the roof of your mouth. if it feels gritty, it needs more beating. (I know your arm is probably hurting  and you are losing the will but you must continue)
4. Beat the vanilla and milk.
5. For the lemon zest icing start adding small amounts of zest at a time, beat a little and taste. If you feel it could do with a little more continue this process until you are happy with the taste of your icing. (I always add the zest of 1 whole lemon but thats because i like lemony icing, orange zest works too)
6. For the chocolate icing, after stage 4, melt the 2 strips of your favourite chocolate (I use galaxy but any other brand such as Cadbury or milka works too). Once the chocolate is melted add to your mix while beating.
7. If you feel that the buttercream is not as soft as you wished add a tiny bit of milk and beat a little longer.
8. Now decorate the cupcakes, use an icing bag for even better looking cupcakes
9.  Enjoy!!