Valentine's Vanilla Cupcakes

As valentines day is only a week away I decided to bake some pretty little cupcakes which are very quick and easy to make!

To make the basic vanilla sponge:

Ingredients

110g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
225g caster sugar
2 large eggs
150g self-raising flour, sifted
125g plain flour, sifted
120ml semi-skimmed milk (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon of good quality vanilla extract


Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 12-hole muffin tray with the appropriate size cupcake cases. (In the case I have used a variety of sizes).

In a mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and smooth, this should take about 3-5 minutes using an eclectic hand mixer or a magi-mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing for a few minuets after each addition.

Combine the two flours in a separate bowl. Put the milk and vanilla extract in a jug.

Add one third of the combined flour to the creamed mixture and beat well, then pour in one third of the milk and vanilla extract and beat again. Repeat these steps until all the flour and milk have been added.

Carefully spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, filling them about two thirds full to allow the mixture to rise when cooking. Bake in the oven for about 20 minuets (regular size case) or 15 minutes (mini size cases).

Remove from the oven and carefully place them onto a wire rack to cool.

To decorate:

Ingredients

Icing sugar
A batch of white royal icing
A batch of red royal icing
Edible Pink Heart Decorations
Food colouring

Roll out one quarter of the white royal icing on an icing sugar dusted surface to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out with a round cookie cutter and apply to the cupcakes.

Roll out the red royal icing to 1/8 inch thick. Using small heart shaped cutters or a sharp knife, cut out a few heart shapes. Using a little icing sugar mixed with water stick the red hearts onto the white circular icing.
Alternatively you could just sprinkle some pink edible heart decorations on top of the white icing.

You can probably notice that I have altered the colours of the icings to make a variety of different designs. To do this all you have to do is add your desired food colouring to the white royal icing and hey presto!!!