Moist Vanilla Cupcakes
I have searched high and low for good cupcake/cake recipes. I am fussy, and am happy to report that this recipe made the grade, you can also use it as a cake recipe in standard size tins. It is super easy, lovely and moist and makes delightful cupcakes that everyone loves.
My FAVOURITE way of serving these cupcakes is with fresh cream and jam, like mini Victorian Sponges. Absolutely brilliant tea time treat!
Top baking tip: Make sure you sieve your dry ingredients and measure all your ingredients including baking powder accurately with baking measures. Even a slight variation in measurements can make your cakes wonky!
My FAVOURITE way of serving these cupcakes is with fresh cream and jam, like mini Victorian Sponges. Absolutely brilliant tea time treat!
Top baking tip: Make sure you sieve your dry ingredients and measure all your ingredients including baking powder accurately with baking measures. Even a slight variation in measurements can make your cakes wonky!
Ingredients
Makes 24 – 26 Cupcakes:
2 1/2 cups Cake Flour
2 cups Sugar
3 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 cup Full Fat Milk
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
2 tsp Vanilla Essence
2 large Eggs
1 cup hot Water
Topping:
1 Jar of your favourite Hogsback Berries Jam
250ml Fresh Cream, whipped
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 Tbsp Icing Sugar
If you do not want to top your cupcakes with fresh cream and jam, here is a basic Vanilla Icing Recipe.
Optional: Vanilla Icing
250g Butter, softened
4 cups Icing Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla Essence
2 Tbsp Milk
2 1/2 cups Cake Flour
2 cups Sugar
3 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 cup Full Fat Milk
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
2 tsp Vanilla Essence
2 large Eggs
1 cup hot Water
Topping:
1 Jar of your favourite Hogsback Berries Jam
250ml Fresh Cream, whipped
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 Tbsp Icing Sugar
If you do not want to top your cupcakes with fresh cream and jam, here is a basic Vanilla Icing Recipe.
Optional: Vanilla Icing
250g Butter, softened
4 cups Icing Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla Essence
2 Tbsp Milk
Method
1. Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees C and line your muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. Using a hand blender or stand mixer, whisk together your eggs, milk, vanilla and oil.
3. Sift your dry ingredients, and then mix with the wet ingredients. Mix slowly until nicely combined and no lumps, but do not over mix.
4. Slowly mix in your hot water until completely incorporated. You will have quite a runny batter, and I find it easiest to pour this into a jug to pour into the cupcake liners.
5. Using your jug and a spoon to control spills, pour your batter into your paper liners being careful to only fill them half way. Resist the temptation to over fill, if you have batter left over and not enough muffin tin space, just pour into a little mould and bake! When you over fill the papers, the cakes spill out onto your muffin tin and can be a mission to get out and clean up.
6. Bake in your pre-heated oven for 15-17mins or until slightly golden and a toothe pick comes out clean when you poke them. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a rack for at least 30mins before topping them. On occasion if I have over filled the paper liners they have bake a bit wonky, I just cut the messed up bits off before icing.
7. If you are choosing to make icing instead of cream, sieve and combine all the ingredients for frosting and whisk together on high speed for 5 mins.
8. If you are using fresh cream, whisk together 250ml whipping cream with a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of Vanilla Essence. Pipe a circle of cream around the rim of each cupcake and place a spoonful of jam in the centre. Or cut the cupcakes in half and sandwich the 2 halves with a layer of jam and cream and place cream on top.
2. Using a hand blender or stand mixer, whisk together your eggs, milk, vanilla and oil.
3. Sift your dry ingredients, and then mix with the wet ingredients. Mix slowly until nicely combined and no lumps, but do not over mix.
4. Slowly mix in your hot water until completely incorporated. You will have quite a runny batter, and I find it easiest to pour this into a jug to pour into the cupcake liners.
5. Using your jug and a spoon to control spills, pour your batter into your paper liners being careful to only fill them half way. Resist the temptation to over fill, if you have batter left over and not enough muffin tin space, just pour into a little mould and bake! When you over fill the papers, the cakes spill out onto your muffin tin and can be a mission to get out and clean up.
6. Bake in your pre-heated oven for 15-17mins or until slightly golden and a toothe pick comes out clean when you poke them. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a rack for at least 30mins before topping them. On occasion if I have over filled the paper liners they have bake a bit wonky, I just cut the messed up bits off before icing.
7. If you are choosing to make icing instead of cream, sieve and combine all the ingredients for frosting and whisk together on high speed for 5 mins.
8. If you are using fresh cream, whisk together 250ml whipping cream with a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of Vanilla Essence. Pipe a circle of cream around the rim of each cupcake and place a spoonful of jam in the centre. Or cut the cupcakes in half and sandwich the 2 halves with a layer of jam and cream and place cream on top.