fairy cakes

[Tommy]

DS loves making fairy cakes but complains that they always turn out "crunchy" on top. I'm pretty sure I've just got the oven up too high or something but it was only about 175C. Should it be lower? He is comparing them to the fairy cakes we have from Tescos sometimes that are soft all over apparently.....
Any suggestions gratefully received

[Bellie]

Tommy - I usually cook mine for about 20 mins on 180c - not usually crunchie but not as soft as tescos!!

[cupcakes]

I do 200 degrees but only for 15 mins.

[QueenVictoria]

check out this way of doing it - works every time for me really moist lovely cakes. Its a Nigella recipe ive copied and pasted.


Ingredients

125g self-raising flour

125g caster sugar

125g soft unsalted butter

2 eggs

Half a teaspoon real vanilla extract

Approximately 2 tablespoons milk

1 packet instant royal icing food colouring ? for preference, colour pastes specialist cake decorations of choice

e.g. wafer roses, sugar flowers, dolly mixtures, and sprinkles

1 x 12-bun muffin tin

12 muffin papers


Method

Preheat the oven to 200C and line the tin with the muffin cases.

It couldn?t be simpler to make cup cakes: just put all the ingredients except for the milk in the processor and then blitz till smooth.

Pulse while adding milk, to make for a soft, dropping consistency, down the funnel. Or using a bowl and wooden spoon, cream the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs one at a time with a little of the flour.

Then add the vanilla extract and fold in the rest of the flour, adding the milk to get the dropping consistency as before.

I know it looks as if you?ll never make this scant mixture fit 12 bun cases, but you will. I promise you this mixture is exactly right to make the 12 cup cakes, so just spoon and scrape the stuff in, trying to fill each case equally, judging by eye only of course.

Put in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cup cakes are cooked and golden on top. As soon as bearable, take the cup cakes in their cases out of the tin and let cool, right way up, on a wire rack.

Once they?re cool, make up a big, uncoloured batch of royal icing, and then remove a few spoonfuls at a time to small bowls.

Using a bamboo skewer, add small dots of colours from the paste-tubs, stirring with a teaspoon and then adding more colouring, very slowly, very cautiously (pastel works best here, whatever your everyday aesthetic) until you get the colour you want.

Use teaspoons to coat the cupcakes with icing and leave each a moment to dry only slightly, on the surface, before sticking on a rose, daisy or whole stash of decorations.

[NannyL]

I do every time and they are ALWAS perfect:

2 large free range / organic eggs beaten
100g sr flour
100g butter (softened in microwave on defrost for about a minute)
100g unrefined caster sugar
about 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

put all of the above in a mowl and mix we normally use a hand held mixer, magi mix also works or kenwood chef etc!

divide the mix between 20 cake cases

put in oven at 180C (in the middle NOT the top) for 16 mins. they take out!

PERFECT EVERY time!

(can be chocolate by adding a little extra baking powder, and using about 75g sr flour / 25g cocoa)

[Tommy]

lovely - thank you. I have a few ideas here so we'll have another go tomorrow