Iced cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 185g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 115g butter, softened
• 200g sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup (125 ml) whole milk

Buttercream icing:

• 250g unsalted butter
• 500g icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp milk

Instructions

Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.
3. Beat the butter and sugar together on a medium speed for roughly 3 minutes, then beat in the eggs one at a time.
4. Add the vanilla extract and continue beating.
5. Then on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients and beat until they start to combine.
6. Add milk, and beat until combined.
7. Now add the second half of your dry ingredients and beat until combined. Avoid over-mixing so the texture remains light.
8. Fill your little cups about ¾ full, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes in the tray before setting aside on a wire rack.

Buttercream icing:

1. Cream the butter using a mixer until it's soft.
2. Add the icing sugar, and beat until combined. Try adding a little at a time, to avoid it flying all over the place.
3. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
4. Check if icing is looking like it's spreadable. If it's too thick, add a ½ tsp milk and mix, then check again.
5. All done, pipe away!

Makes enough cupcakes for a birthday during lockdown (if you don't mind eating them every day for a week).

Inspired by vanilla cupcakes recipe here, and buttercream icing recipe from here.