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Jo Pratt's very indulgent vanilla cupcakes

The very talented Jo Pratt shows you how to make delicious vanilla cupcakes in our simple video recipe. She'll also show you how to customise the flavour of your cupcake sponge

Average rating: 4
4 out of 5 star rating (151 ratings)
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  • Makes: 12

  • Total time: 1 hr 20 mins

  • Costs: Cheap as chips

  • Skill level: Bit of effort

  • Child friendly
  • Romantic
  • Editor's pick

Ingredients

If you are making the cake mixture in a food processor then it is worth adding 1 teaspoon of baking powder to the mixture to ensure the cakes rise nicely.

For the cupcakes

  • 175g caster sugar
  • 175g unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs
  • 175g self-raising flour

For the icing

  • 200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 400g icing sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • You will also need a deep muffin tin and twelve paper muffin cases, and a piping bag with a wide star nozzle.

Customize your cakes

Here are a few idea for other flavours for the sponge:

  • Chocolate: substitute 40g flour for 40g sieved cocoa powder.
  • Lemon: beat the grated rind of 1 lemon in with the sugar and butter and swap the milk for lemon juice.
  • Orange: beat the grated rind in 1 orange in with the sugar and butter and swap the milk for orange juice.

Method

  1.  Preheat the oven to 180°C/ fan 160°C/gas
  2. To make the cupcakes beat together the sugar, butter and vanilla extract using an electric mixer until the mixture is wonderfully light and fluffy. Give this plenty of time because the creamier the mixture, the lighter the cakes.
  3. Add one egg at a time with a spoonful of flour to stop the mixture from curdling.
  4. Finally mix in the remaining flour.
  5. Spoon the cake mixture into twelve muffin cases sitting in the muffin tin.
  6. Cook in oven for 20 minutes, until the cakes have risen and are lightly golden.
  7. Remove from the oven and cool on wire rack.
  8. While the cakes are cooling, beat together the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract until it is light and creamy.
  9. Place in a piping bag with a wide star nozzle and pipe a wonderfully generous swirl on top of each cake.

Nutritional information

Guideline Daily Amount for 2,000 calories per day are: 70g fat, 20g saturated fat, 90g sugar, 6g salt.

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Average rating:

4 out of 5 star rating (151 ratings)

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Today's poll

What is your favourite cake to bake?


  • Victoria sponge 15%
  • Chocolate cake 19%
  • Carrot cake 10%
  • Lemon drizzle cake 12%
  • Red velvet cake 5%
  • Cupcakes 20%
  • Coffee cake 6%
  • Fruit cake 6%
  • Other 3%
  • I don't like baking cakes 4%

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