Vanilla cupcakes are a staple and can become different flavoured cupcakes with the addition of orange or lemon zest or various extracts such as strawberry or almond. Chocolate cupcakes, of course, need no adaptation and go well with just about any type or flavour of icing.
Vanilla cupcakes I
I've had this recipe for years, ever since my mom found it in a magazine back in South Africa. She used to sprinkle chocolate sprinkles or hundreds-and-thousands on top of the cupcakes before baking them, and then didn't ice them, or she'd push a piece of canned apple into each one and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar before baking.
This recipe makes a LOT of cupcakes if you make the fairy-cake size - I like to freeze them (all baked goods freeze well).
Ingredients
5 eggs
2 cups sugar
500g (1lb 2oz) self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
250g (2 sticks) butter or margarine
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or flavouring
Method
Beat eggs and sugar together for up to 15 minutes or at least until very light and fluffy. [I am too impatient for 15 minutes - I last about 5 on a good day!]
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together and fold into egg mixture. [I never sift my dry ingredients, I just dump it in and mix in briefly. Don't overmix - it makes for tough cakes!]
Heat milk and butter in the microwave until the butter is melted. Stir quickly into flour mixture. Add vanilla.
Scoop into paper cups until three-quarters full. Bake for 12 minutes at 180°C / 350°F - that's for the fairy cake size. Regular sized cupcakes would be around 20 minutes I think.
Vanilla cupcakes II
This is actually a lemon drizzle cake recipe that makes a delicious, light cake with a very tender crumb. I like the texture so much that I use it for cupcakes - I just leave out the lemon zest and add vanilla extract, and of course leave off the glaze on top. This recipe was passed to my mom from a friend at church back in Cape Town about 20 years ago or so.
Ingredients
120g (1 stick) butter or margarine
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
½ cup milk
1 ½ cups self-raising flour
½ tsp salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or flavouring
Cream butter and sugar well. Add eggs and vanilla and mix again. Add milk and flour alternately. Mix until combined.
Scoop into paper cups until three-quarters full. Bake for 12 minutes at 180°C / 350°F - that's for the fairy cake size. Regular sized cupcakes would be around 20 minutes I think.
Chocolate cupcakes I
This recipe is from the Pioneer Woman and is simply heavenly. It has a light crumb and a delicious richness.
Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 heaping tablespoons cocoa
250g (2 sticks) butter
1 cup boiling water
½ cup buttermilk [I never have buttermilk, I use milk with some lemon juice added]
2 whole beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or flavouring [I always add 1 tablespoon when adding vanilla]
Method
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.
In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together. Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
In a measuring jug or small bowl, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture.
Scoop into paper cups until three-quarters full. Bake for 12 minutes at 180°C / 350°F - that's for the fairy cake size. Regular sized cupcakes would be around 20 minutes I think.
Chocolate cupcakes II
When I was pregnant with Noah I was completely miserable the whole time. I hated being pregnant. One day I posted on a message board I visit, saying that I needed a make-from-scratch recipe for a really rich, moist chocolate cake and I needed it urgently. Bless the person posting this recipe - it is absolutely divine and completely hit the spot!
Yesterday Grant took some of these cupcakes to work and I got a marriage proposal from a 23-year-old whom I have never even met - just on the merits of the cupcakes. They're that good.
Ingredients
2 cups flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 ¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mayonnaise [don't be alarmed!]
1 1/3 cups water
Method
Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, sugar, vanilla and mayonnaise. Blend with mixer at high speed for 3 minutes.
Alternate adding flour and water to the mixture, blending as you go. Mix thoroughly.
Scoop into paper cups until three-quarters full. Bake for 12 minutes at 180°C / 350°F - that's for the fairy cake size. Regular sized cupcakes would be around 20 minutes I think.
Disclaimer: your results may vary. Just because these work for me, doesn't mean they'll workfor you. And for those in the know, this has nothing to do with the so-called Cupcake Wars, I've been meaning to post them for a while because my lovely readers have asked for them repeatedly.
