Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature before making these cupcakes so they mix in evenly. Cold ingredients may make the batter lumpy so you have to overmix and make it tough.
Makes: 21
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS
250g self-raising flour, sifted
250g caster sugar
250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large whole eggs, beaten
A pinch of salt
21 cup cones
Decoration
250g unsalted butter
200g cream cheese
500g icing sugar
2 tsp custard powder
Food colourings – orange, red, black or white
Sprinkles
Icing pens
1 tsp vanilla extract
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Cream the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy either by hand or in a food processor.
Very gradually add the beaten eggs to the butter mixture.
Add the sifted flour, and mix until it has formed a smooth cake batter.
Line 2 trays with 21 cup cones, spoon or pipe the cake batter into the cones until each cupcake case is two thirds full.
Bake for 20 minutes until golden and slightly springy to the touch.
Allow them to cool to room temperature on a cooling rack.
To make the icing: use a paddle attachment in a mixer or hand held beaters to whip the butter until it is pale in colour; this takes about 2 minutes.
Sift the icing sugar and custard powder into a large bowl.
Add around a third of the icing sugar to the butter on low speed and mix well.
Add another third then add the vanilla extract and finally add the remaining icing sugar.
Then add the cream cheese, and the food colours of your choice.
Keep mixing until a uniform consistency is achieved. Separate into smaller bowls to colour it different colours and decorate your themed cupcakes.
