CUPCAKES
 NIGELLA
Photograph by Petrina Tinslay
INGREDIENTS

125g self-raising flour
125g caster sugar
125g soft unsalted butter
2 eggs
Half a teaspoon real vanilla extract
Approximately 2 tablespoons milk
1 packet instant royal icing food colouring – for preference, colour pastes specialist cake decorations of choice e.g. wafer roses, sugar flowers, dolly mixtures, and sprinkles
1 x 12-bun muffin tin
12 muffin papers
Serving Size : Makes 12
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METHOD

1.Preheat the oven to 200C and line the tin with the muffin cases.
2.It couldn't be simpler to make cup cakes: just put all the ingredients except for the milk in the processor and then blitz till smooth.
3.Pulse while adding milk, to make for a soft, dropping consistency, down the funnel. Or using a bowl and wooden spoon, cream the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs one at a time with a little of the flour.
4.Then add the vanilla extract and fold in the rest of the flour, adding the milk to get the dropping consistency as before.
5.I know it looks as if you'll never make this scant mixture fit 12 bun cases, but you will. I promise you this mixture is exactly right to make the 12 cup cakes, so just spoon and scrape the stuff in, trying to fill each case equally, judging by eye only of course.
6.Put in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cup cakes are cooked and golden on top. As soon as bearable, take the cup cakes in their cases out of the tin and let cool, right way up, on a wire rack.
7.Once they're cool, make up a big, uncoloured batch of royal icing, and then remove a few spoonfuls at a time to small bowls.
8.Using a bamboo skewer, add small dots of colours from the paste-tubs, stirring with a teaspoon and then adding more colouring, very slowly, very cautiously (pastel works best here, whatever your everyday aesthetic) until you get the colour you want.
9.Use teaspoons to coat the cupcakes with icing and leave each a moment to dry only slightly, on the surface, before sticking on a rose, daisy or whole stash of decorations.



REVIEWS

These are so easy to make and turn out perfectly every time!

FionaS

These are great cupcakes! What I especially like about them is that they end up completely flat, making them very easy to decorate in any way.

amiatu

I made these and changed the flour to wholemeal and they taste amazing! Put a little more milk than on recipe as mix was slightly too sticky. As this was my first batch next time will put exactly per the recipe to see difefrence.

aliki

This cupcakes are great to make with kids. Not dificult and they don't have to wait to long. You do have to make more than you need becaus they also taste good!

Floortje81

Great cakes! If we make cupcakes, this tends to be the recipe chosen. In HTE, it suggests the recipe is enough for 24 cakes - little delicate things, perfect for topping with the Royal Icing from Feast:)

Coby

I've tried this recipe four times and it flops every time! The cupcakes fall completely flat in the middle after rising beautifully. What am I doing wrong?

Ronelle

I had the same thing as the person above me, I made them twice. Perhaps the are to be that way?

thegreat

I did not get muffin papers anywhere so I just greased the mould instead. The cakes came out very crumbly :-( On the flip side, since I hadn't told anyone I was making cupcakes I just served the crumbs topped with icing and called them "Sumedha's space odyssey".

f1fanatic

I love you, never miss your show yet the only problems are I am only 13 and I live in Mumbai were I can't get half the stuff you use.

shivi
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