Butter Cream Frosting (aka Deliciousness Personified)

I LOVE butter cream. Well, technically it's Vitalite cream, if you want to be pedantic about it, but butter cream sounds better! It's delicious creaminess adds that extra indulgence to any cake or bun. And it is so damn versatile. I haven't found an ingredient I couldn't make work yet.

Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, lemon, ginger, coconut, cherry, sherbet, lime, mint, the list goes on. Here is the basic recipe for butter cream. It will ice around 12 cupcakes, roughly. It all depends on how decadently you slap the stuff on!

Ingredients

8oz/250g / 1 & 1/2 cups Sifted Icing Sugar

3oz/80g / 1/2 cup Vitalite

2 tbsp Soya Milk

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1] Using an electric hand whisk beat the Vitalite for 2-3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Sift in half of the icing sugar and stir in with a spatula until roughly combined. Do this rather than jump straight in with the whisk or you'll have an icing sugar cloud floating in your kitchen!*

2] Sift in the remainder of the icing sugar and roughly combine. Add the milk and the extract then whisk for 4-5 minutes. The general idea is to make the frosting as light as possible, hence the compulsive whisking.**

3] Get a spoon and have a taste! Most of my frostings need a bit of tinkering here and there. A little more icing sugar if it's too lemony; a bit more mint extract if it's not minty enough. Always try it as everybody's taste is different. Once you are happy with it grab your pallet knife and schmear on that frosting like there is no tomorrow.

*Flavourings such as cocoa powder, natural extracts, sherbets are best added at this stage

**It is worth noting that any 'lumpy' flavourings (IE lemon zest or coconut) are best stirred in at the last minute with a pallet knife or metal spoon, as they tend to just attach themselves to the whisk blades.

Enjoy

xo

Vanilla Cupcakes

Vanilla Sponge is the basis of most good cupcakes as well as for a traditional Victoria Sponge. I find some comfort in the fact that this basic recipe has been used by millions of people for generations upon generations, all over the world. That said, I have made a few adaptions to work with dairy alternatives.

The age old recipe is

8oz Sugar

8oz Flour

8oz Fat

4 Eggs

Now the only major alteration to my recipe is to add an extra ounce of flour, for every four ounces. This is because I have found that using non dairy ingredients can make the mix curdle slightly. Also, I have found when the mixture has the consistency of a thick mousse it makes the best buns.

A word on cupcakes, an Americanism if ever there was one, I use muffin cases as opposed to bun cases (but that's just because I like them big and fat...ooooh matron).

So, those bases covered let us begin.

Ingredients (to make around 12 cupcakes)

7oz /200g / 1 & 3/4 cups Self Raising Flour

6oz /175g /3/4 cup Caster Sugar

6oz /175g/ 3/4 cup Vitalite (or alternative)

3 Medium Eggs

1tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 180oC/Gas Mark 4 & line muffin trays with cases.

1] Cream together the fat and sugar with your trust electric whisk. I usually go at it for a good 3-4 minutes, until it is fluffy like a cloud and pale in colour.

2] Add the eggs one at a time, whisk each one until thoroughly combined. With the last egg add one tablespoon of flour before whisking.

3] Sift in the flour and briefly fold in with a spatula, add the vanilla extract then whisk until thoroughly combined. As i stated earlier, I find the best cupcakes are made with a thicker consistency mixture.

4] Using a table spoon, fill the cases until 2/3 full, which is about a tablespoon and a half.

5] Bake in preheated oven for around 18-20 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR UNTIL AT LEAST 15 MINUTES HAS PASSED! The buns should be risen and golden when done. I ALWAYS use a skewer to check that they are cooked thoroughly (it should come out clean if they are)

6] Once you are satisfied that your cupcakes are done remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tray before transferring to wire cooling rack.

And there you have it. I will address variations to this recipe (chocolate, jam swirls, lemon to name but a few) in later posts, as well as icings and frostings.

Enjoy

xo