Vanilla cupcakes with strawberry flavoured frosting!

Whenever I look at cupcakes in stores or online, I just feel so envious of how beautiful they look.

I can never actually manage to get them looking pretty enough. Maybe its because of my complete lack of talent when it comes to decorating cakes. I usually just messily ice my cakes- because obviously taste matters much more- but more importantly- because I'm terrible at making any cakes look pretty and presentable!

Oh well, recently it was my friends' daughters' first birthday and I set a goal for myself to make cupcakes that I was actually going to be pleased with- with a pink theme :-), because pink is just awesome. and girly. and means I could incorporate something strawberry-ish to them!!

Anyway, I got myself a little cake frosting kit, cute pink cupcake cases and lots of pink sprinkles!!!...And then I started baking.

After deciding on soft, fluffy, vanilla cupcakes with a strawberry flavoured frosting I got started.

Cupcakes are actually fun to bake :-) and they don't really take that long either.

They are prettier and little kids love to eat them.

So do big kids :-)

The result? Awesomely soft, fluffy, light as air vanilla cupcakes with a thick layer of strawberry flavoured frosting. Even I liked it- and I must admit I'm not really a 'non-chocolate cake' fan.

I kept some cupcakes for home and they didn't last long AT ALL!!!

A very nice feeling :-)

Light and fluffy :-)

Ingredients for the cake batter:

4 eggs

8oz self- raising flour

8oz caster sugar

8oz margarine

Vanilla essence

Mehod:

Preheat the oven at Gas mark 4

Beat the sugar and the margarine with a hand-held mixer until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.

Add in the eggs one at a time and carry on mixing it.

Once the mixture is blended in together, add in the flour in additions.

keep mixing it.

Finally, add a few drops of vanilla essence in to the mixture. Mix it a little more and then using an ice-cream scoop, divide in to cupcake cases. Just fill it two thirds of the way because it needs room to rise.

Let it bake in the oven until risen and golden. It took me about 20 minutes. 

Let it cool and then frost away :-)

Ingredients for the frosting:

2 large serving spoons of margarine.

4-5 large serving spoons of icing sugar (sifted)

You can add 1 tablespoon of any flavourings (like strawberry) or sifted cocoa (to taste).

Method:

Using a hand held mixer, thoroughly mix the icing sugar and margarine together until it is pale in colour.

Then add any flavourings.

The great thing about this cake recipe is that it is SO simple and takes such little time to make..and almost everyone loves the final result!

Enjoy :-)