Strawberry and Vanilla Cup Cakes
Strawberry and Vanilla Cup Cakes

Ingredients

For the cup cakes

  • 200g unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
  • 1/2 cup milk

For the icing

  • 2 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
  • 3 teaspoons milk
  • 3 teaspoons strawberry essence
  • pink food colouring
  • icing flowers, to decorate

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced oven. Line muffin or mini-muffin pans with paper cases.
  2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, vanilla and sugar in a small bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition (mixture will separate at this stage). Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Stir in half the flour. Stir in half the milk. Repeat with remaining flour and milk until combined.
  3. For 1/3 cup-capacity muffin pans use 2 level tablespoons of mixture. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes. Alternatively, for 1 tablespoon-capacity mini muffin pans use 1 tablespoon mixture. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
  4. Stand cakes in pans for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
  5. Place icing sugar in a bowl. Stir in milk to form a spreadable icing, adding more milk if necessary. Stir in strawberry essence. Tint icing with food colouring. Spread icing over cakes. Decorate with icing flowers. Serve.