I've never made cupcakes...

[givemeaclue]

please tell me your tried and tested foolproof recipe (using normal size cake cases) that works - not for big muffin cases

for icing - I lack any icing related accoutrements - any suggestions?

making an effort for easter

thank you domestic goddesses

Nigella's recipe in How to Eat (think it is under fairy cakes). Bung it all in a food processor. Foolproof! I had never baked before and can do these every time.

Even easier, buy a cake pop machine and get the sticks and candy melts from Amazon or Hobbycraft. Stupidly simple, you can also whip up a batch of cake mix in the processor using the recipe in the instruction book.

[http://m.goodfoodchannel.co.uk/recipe/581753/vanilla-cupcakes/]

I use this recipe every time and just vary the toppings. I get plenty of compliments too!

Ps with the choc and sour cream icing, melt the specified amount of choc but add sour cream a bit at a time until you are happy - a whole pot will give you runny useless icing. The recipe should say all the choc and about a tablespoon full of cream

Hth

If we are talking proper cupcakes, friends swear by the Hummingbird Bakery recipes but have never tried them myself!

I have done the cheat's Dr Oetker squirty icing-in-a-can and it looked alright but didn't taste great, very sickly!

4 oz butter creamed with 4 oz sugar. Mix in 4 oz flour and 2 eggs.
Oven at 180 while this is happening.
Dollop into cake cases
Bake for about 15-18 mins
Take out when golden brown on top
Cool
Icing - regular icing sugar version with sprinkles/pretty bits
or - butter icing.
Can colour either with a tiny touch of yellow colouring.
You can buy various Easter twiddly bits form the supermarkets to put on if needed.

Thank you all I am ready for action...

What is butter icing how do you make it

Soft butter with icing sugar (and colour) mixed in. Tend to judge by eye, but suspect the packet has method with quantities.

Buttercream is half butter to icing sugar. So 100g butter to 200g icing sugar for example.

Get your butter soft and fluffy and then add the icing sugar in two or three goes mixing it in. Add 2-3 tbsps milk depending on the quantity you are making and the consistency you would like.

Oh and dont use marg for icing. Tastes awful.

Thank you all have ordered nozzles and piping bags

Hummingbird bakery cupcake recipes are great - they follow what I call the "American style" of making cakes in that you blitz butter with all the dry ingredients and then add liquids. very fast & simple method.

The way I learnt to make cakes ("traditional method" perhaps??) is when you cream the butter and sugar together, and then add the dry ingredients and wet ingredients. A little more work involved in creaming the butter and sugar together - get it as light and fluffy and pale as possible before adding other ingredients.

Agree avoid marg - bleugh!

And a cupcake is just a small cake - nothing mysterious involved.

Hummingbird Bakery Vanilla Cupcakes

£2.50+ each from the HB bakery in Notting Hill!!