Taking a trip down memory lane to one of our first ever videos: When we made cupcakes – naturally! In fact we didn’t  just simply make cupcakes, we had to recreate the popular Food Network Cupcake Wars contest – Rémy from Jumping Cupcakes vs Minty from Crazy Cupcakes. However, when you watch the video and see what went into the frosting  – literally – you will understand why I wasn’t that keen to have my cake and eat it…

Cupcake Wars from Lucy Lean on Vimeo.

Cupcakes

Servings: 12 Cupcakes

Adapted from one of my go to favorites –  How to be a Domestic Goddess, Nigella Lawson. I always smile when I open this book and on the inside front page long before kids and domesticity really set in I wrote in pink ink: “This book belongs to Domestic Goddess Lucy Lean”!!! Sigh!

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
7 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 400 F

Cream together butter and sugar in the mixer until pale yellow. Add eggs and 2 tablespoons of the flour, vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon of the milk. Gently fold in the remaining flour and if needed the rest of the milk – to make a soft batter that ‘drops’.

Divide the mixture equally between 12 cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the cakes are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack completely whilst you make the frosting.

Buttercream Frosting

3/4 cups butter
2 cups confectioner’s sugar sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk [for coffee frosting use cold espresso coffee instead of milk]

Mix all the ingredients together in the mixer and then smoother the cakes!

Chocolate Ganache

Servings enough for 6 cupcakes and lots of licking!

1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon butter
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate in small pieces

In a small saucepan warm the ingredients to melt the chocolate. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat and whisk until smooth and thickened.

Cool before icing the cupcakes. If it gets too cold and solid re heat slightly.