National Cupcake Week

Cupcake recipe

To celebrate the 8th National Cupcake Week, Pastry Chef Martyn Edmonds is sharing his personal cupcake recipe – and it couldn’t be simpler! With endless options for decorating, it’s a great opportunity for you to show your creative side, so share your baking photos with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Cupcakes

Makes 10-12

Ingredients

For the cupcakes
175g softened butter
175g caster sugar
2tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
175g  self raising flour

For the icing
140g butter, softened
280g icing sugar
2tbsp milk
1tsp vanilla extract

Method

For the cupcakes
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/170C fan assisted/gas mark 3.
2. Combine the butter and sugar together (in a mixer or using electric whisks) and beat until light and fluffy.
3. Add the vanilla essence and the eggs and continue to beat until well mixed.
4. Add the flour and mix until you achieve a smooth consistency (about 5 minutes). Half way through the time, half way through the time scrape the sides down using a spatula. The longer mixing time enables air to get into the mixture which will make a lighter cake.
5. Pour an even amount (roughly 70g) into cupcake cases.
6. Bake for about 14 minutes, but do keep an eye on them. They will be perfect when they bounce back to the touch and the top still looks slightly sticky (this will ensure they keep their moisture).
7. Leave on a cooling rack for 30 minutes or until cool.

For the icing
1. Beat together the butter and icing sugar.
2. Add vanilla and the milk
3. Place into a piping bag (ideally with a star nozzle) and pipe onto the cakes.

You could also try making chocolate cupcakes: For the cake mix, replace the vanilla extract with 2tbsp of cocoa powder. For the icing, remove 2tbsp of the icing sugar and replace with 2tbsp of cocoa powder.