How to make pink vanilla cupcakes: An easy Mother’s Day recipe

All you need to make them, is weighing scales, a mixing bowl and a wooden spoon.

The icing, you will need a piping bag and nozzle – most supermarkets sell these quite cheaply – and a sieve for the icing sugar.

Here’s how to make pink vanilla cupcakes.

(Picture: Mandy Mazliah)

Ingredients (makes 12)

For the cupcakes

180g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

180g unsalted butter, softened

180g caster sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

(Picture: Mandy Mazliah)

For the icing

180g unsalted butter, softened

360g icing sugar, sifted

1-2 tbsp milk

Food colouring and sprinkles of your choice – I used pink

(Picture: Mandy Mazliah)

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180C (fan)/200C/gas mark 6 and line a 12-hole cupcake tray with cases.

Put the flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract into a large mixing bowl and beat together with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer for two minutes until well combined. Alternatively use a stand mixer with a beater attachment.

Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into each cupcake case so that they are all about half full.

Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.

Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack until completely cold.

(Picture: Mandy Mazliah)

To make the icing, put the butter in a mixing bowl and beat well with a wooden spoon or electric mixer until creamy.

Gradually add the sifted icing sugar while continuing to beat the butter.

Add the food colouring and milk a tiny bit at a time, beating as you go, until you have a smooth consistency and the colour you want.

Fit your piping bag with a nozzle – I used a no. 30 closed star piping tip.

Using a rubber spatula, scrape the icing into your piping bag. You may find it helpful to clip the bag shut with a plastic clip, clothes peg or elastic band to stop it squeezing out of the wrong end.

Starting from the outside edge, gradually pipe the icing onto the top of the cake in a spiral pattern.

Repeat until all the cakes are decorated and then cover with sprinkles as desired.