Description
These light and fluffy vanilla cupcakes are perfect for your next birthday party or afternoon tea. They are easy to make and can be decorated with any frosting you like!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/4 cup (160g) cake & pastry flour (see note 1 for substitutions)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking (bicarbonate of) soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (225g) caster (superfine) sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To decorate:
- 1 x quantity of My Favourite Vanilla Buttercream Frosting or 1 x quantity of My Favourite Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C conventional or 160C fan-forced. Line a 12 cup cupcake/muffin pan (or 24 mini-cupcake pan) with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the cake and pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using electric beaters) cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (this will take approximately 3 to 5). This is a really important step for making these cupcakes light and fluffy so don’t be tempted to rush it! Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and if using a stand mixer, I like to scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl (directly underneath the paddle) to make sure all the butter is incorporated.
- Add the eggs, one by one, beating well after each egg.
- Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- Alternate mixing in the sifted flour mixture and buttermilk – add a third of the sifted flour mixture and mix until just combined, then add half the buttermilk and mix until just combined and then repeat finishing with the remaining third of sifted flour. Be careful not to over-mix the batter.
- Spoon or scoop (I like to use an ice-cream scoop) the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them two-thirds full.
- For regular cupcakes bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when tested. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes for mini-cupcakes.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully remove and allow to cool completely on a wire.
- When completely cool, decorate with your choice of frosting.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Cake and pastry flour substitute: See how to make a substitute cake and pastry flour in the above post. You can otherwise substitute plain (all-purpose) flour.
- Storage: Store cooled, unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one day. Once frosted, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. Bring the cupcakes to room temperature before serving. Individually wrapped cupcakes can be frozen for 2 to 3 months.
Keywords: Vanilla cupcakes