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Rachel Allen's vanilla cupcakes

Rachel Allen's vanilla cupcakes

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These pretty iced vanilla cupcakes come out of the oven flat on top - add crystallised flowers, sugared almond or other edible decorations

Prep time: 1 hr
(including decorating time)
Cooking time: 15 mins
Total time: 1 hr 15 mins
Makes: 12
Skill level: Easy peasy
Costs: Mid-price

Child friendly
Make in advance

Ingredients

The reason the cakes are so light is because the eggs are whisked for about 10 minutes until they are full of air and they only use a tiny amount of butter.
Rachel Allen, celebrity chef

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75ml (2½ fl oz) milk
Scant 25g (1oz) butter
75g (3oz) plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 medium eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
125g (5oz) caster sugar

For the icing:

100g (4oz) icing sugar, sifted
1-2tbsp single cream
1tsp vanilla extract

To decorate:

Crystallised flowers
Sugared almonds
Other edible decorations of your choice

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas mark 6). Place 12 paper bun cases in a bun tray.
Heat the milk in a saucepan until it almost comes to the boil, take it off the heat, add the butter and stir to melt, then set aside.
Sift the flour with the baking powder and add the salt. In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla extract with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy, for about 10 mins. Gradually beat in the sugar until thick and mousse-like. Turn the speed down and blend in the flour, then the milk. Stop beating as soon as it's all mixed in.
Spoon into each paper case and bake in the oven for 15 mins or until golden and firm to the touch. Allow to cool slightly in the tin before moving to a wire rack and icing.
To make the icing, mix the icing sugar with 1tbsp cream and the vanilla extract; if it's not a good spreading consistency, add a little more cream. To ice the cupcakes,dip a table knife into boiling water and spread the icing over each cake with the warm knife.

By Rachel Allen

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