Everyone needs a good, simple cupcake recipe in their cookbook. This vanilla cupcake recipe is ideal for beginner bakers or anyone wanting to get back to basics. You don’t need any specialist equipment, although you can use a hand mixer or stand mixer if you have one, and it uses just 5 ingredients. This cupcake recipe is nothing new and you will find countless similar versions online, but it has been my base recipe for a long time.

These cupcakes are super versatile. You can change the flavour by adding a different extract or flavouring. You can add fruit or chocolate chips before baking. Or, when the cupcakes are baked you can take out the middle and add a filling such as jam, fruit curd, chocolate ganache or caramel.

This recipe makes 6 cupcakes, but you can easily double up for a batch of 12.

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INGREDIENTS

100g Margarine (or room temperature unsalted butter)
100g Caster Sugar
2 Medium-sized Eggs
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
100g Self-Raising Flour

EQUIPMENT

6-hole cupcake tray
6 large cupcake cases
Scales
Mixing bowl
Wooden spoon, spatula or whisk (or all 3! )
Measuring spoons
2 small spoons
Toothpick or skewer

METHOD

Before you begin, line a 6-hole cupcake baking tray with your cupcake cases. Pre-heat your oven to 160°C in a fan-assisted oven. (Alternatives: Gas Mark 4, 180°C, 350°F.)

1 . Put the margarine (or unsalted butter, if using – see tip below) & caster sugar into a large mixing bowl, and cream together until you have a smooth mix. To ‘cream’ I would recommend using a wooden spoon to press the margarine into the sugar, rather than trying to stir or beat it. Once the two ingredients are combined together, you can beat the mixture to get it smooth.

Margarine V Butter
You can, of course, use unsalted butter in place of margarine, just make sure its softened or it’s really hard work! I use margarine because that’s what we always did at home. We have performed a taste test on some unsuspecting guinea pigs using the two. The result was that while the butter-based sponge was rich and buttery, the margarine made it lighter and more fluffy, and so this became the preference for us. Margarine, however, does not really have it’s place in brownies, blondies or cookies as the water and oil content makes it less stable.

2 . Add your eggs, one at a time, into the sugar and margarine mixture, and beat to make a light and fluffy mix. I began with the wooden spoon from the previous step to start mixing. I used a whisk to break up any lumps. And I used a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. You want to make sure that there are no lumps of any of the individual ingredients.

If using an electric beater or stand mixer, just make sure you scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl from time to time to ensure it’s all combined.

3 . Add your Vanilla Extract and stir it through your egg, sugar and margaine mixture.

TIP: For the best flavour I would always recommend extract over essence. Vanilla Extract is a natural product made from the vanilla pod, while essence is usually a synthetic creation that can have a funny aftertaste. It is also worth adding vanilla extract even if you are planning to flavour it with something else as well as vanilla can really help to push your other flavour forward. I love the Neilsen Massey Vanilla Extract.

4 . Add self-raising flour to your bowl, and mix it through so you have a smooth and silky mixture. Make sure to stop as soon as it’s all come together and there are no lumps of flour. I believe a wooden spoon or spatula is the best tool here, again making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as you go.

5 . When you are ready, spoon the mixture into your cupcake cases. Make sure you don’t fill them anymore than three-quarters full, as the mixture will spill out of the cases while baking and you won’t get beautifully domed tops. You can use an ice-cream scoop or two spoons to fill the cases. A spatula is your best friend here to make sure you get every last bit of batter out of the bowl.

6. Place your cupcakes in the oven and bake for around 18-20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. If you press the top of the cake it should spring back – if you leave a dent put them back in the oven for a couple of minutes. You can also use a toothpick or skewer to check if they are done – simply poke it into the cake and if it comes out perfectly clean your cakes are ready. If there are any signs of unbaked batter on your skewer, put the cupcakes back in the oven.

Take a Mindful Minute

While the cupcakes are in the oven, take a minute to sit with it. Can you see it rising through the oven door? Notice the smell as the mixture heats up and fills your house with the smell of freshly baked cake. Marvel in the magic that heat has transformed your batter into a light and fluffy cake. Have a look at this post for more ways to bring mindfulness to your cooking.

Leave the cupcakes to cool in the tin for 15 minutes or so, until you can take them out without burning yourself. Leave the cakes on a wire rack until completely cooled before decorating.

Over the next few weeks, I will post plenty of ideas and suggestions on how to decorate and customise these cupcakes, so make sure to check back. Don’t forget to tag us in your social media posts or let us know in the comments below how you get on.

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