When I was a youngster making cupcakes they were called fairy cakes, perhaps that shows my age! This is the simple recipe I learnt from my mum that I still make today covered with the traditional ‘hundreds and thousands’ topping. It makes a good fluffy cake that you can decorate as your fancy takes you.
Ingredients:
- 110g Butter/Margarine
- 110g Granulated Sugar
- 75g Flour
- 35g Coco Powder
- 2 eggs
- 1tsp baking powder
- Decoration: icing, hundreds and thousands, whipped cream, etc.
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Make ready approx. 16 paper or silicon cake cups on a tray.
- Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and mix with an electric mixer until it is light and fluffy. This can take approximately five minutes and the mixture will lighten and become cream-like.
- Add the two eggs to the mixture and mix for two or three minutes until it is well mixed and creamy. If the mixture starts to curdle add a little of the flour.
- While still mixing slowly add the flour, coco powder and baking powder to the mixture and mix well.
- The cake mixture should thicken slightly and stay in peaks when you lift out a spoon. If the peaks fall over add a little more flour, mix and test again.
- Spoon out the mixture in to the cake cups and fill each one only half full. This allows space for the cake to rise during cooking.
- Depending on how you are decorating your cup cakes you can add some decoration now, e.g. sugar, hundreds and thousands etc.
- Place in the centre of the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes. After 15 minutes check to see if the cakes are cooked by lightly pressing the top, if it bounces back into place they are done, if the dent from your finger remains they need a little more time. Keep checking to make sure they are not overcooked.
- Once cooled you can decorate in many different ways for all manor of occasions, there are plenty of ideas online. Whipped creamy tops covered with ornaments are a favourite way to go. This recipe I find is a good base for cup cakes.
Below are some things you will find here at Kitchen & Cook Shop that help make scrumptious cupcakes!
