Perfect cup cakes with fluffy vanilla icing

 

Makes 10 large cupcakes or 12 small cupcakes

 

Ingredients
1 ¾ cups (235g) self raising flour

1 tbspn (10g) cornflour

180g salt reduced butter, softened to room temperature

3/4 cup (155g) caster sugar

1 tspn vanilla extract

finely grated rind of 1 lemon

3 x 60g eggs

 

Icing

125g unsalted or salt reduced butter, softened to room temperature

4 ½ cups (520g) icing sugar mixture

3 tbspn milk, lightly warmed

2 tspn vanilla extract

 

Method

Preheat oven to 190C (170C fan forced). Line muffin pans with paper cases.

Place the mixing bowl on the stand mixer.  Attach the flex edge or flat beater and the pouring shield.  Add the flours to the mixing bowl.  Mix on speed 2 until well combined.  Set flour mixture aside, wipe bowl and return bowl to the mixer.

 

Place the butter into the mixing bowl with the flex edge beater or flat beater. Beat on speed 6  until lightly whipped. Add the sugar and beat on speed 6 for 5 minutes or until very light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, lemon rind and eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.

 

Add the flour and mix lightly on speed 2 until well combined. Using an ice cream scoop (see tip below) fill each patty case about ¾ full with a large scoop of batter.

 

Bake on the centre shelf of the oven for 20 minutes or until firm and lightly golden. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely before icing.

 

Fluffy vanilla Icing

Using the flex edge beater or flat beater, beat the butter on speed 6 for 1 minute. Place on the pouring shield, add half the icing sugar and beat until combined, add the milk followed by the remaining icing sugar and vanilla. Beat for 3 minutes or until very light and fluffy. To assist icing use a piping bag or thick plastic storage bag and turn the cupcake with one hand as you pipe on the icing with the other hand. This gives a perfectly centred and shaped iced top. Different looks to the icing are achieved by using various pipes in the piping bag, these are available at speciality cookware shops or better supermarkets.

 

Tips

1: Additional 3 or 4.8 litre bowls are available.

 

2: An old fashioned ice cream scoop is great for filling the patty pans with batter. The rounded shape created by the scoop helps to create the perfect top of the cup cake.

 

3: Use warm milk for the icing, cold milk will not allow the icing to whip to a smooth fluffy consistency.

 

Gluten free

Substitute gluten free plain flour for wheat flour and 2tspn of ‘gluten substitute’ (available from health food stores). Use maize cornflour and gluten free baking powder.