Easy Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
This 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 needs just 5 ingredients. This cupcake recipe is nothing new and you will find countless versions online, but it has been my base recipe for a long time.
Equipment
- 6 Hole Cupcake Tray
- 6 Cupcake Cases
- Weighing Scales
- Mixing Bowl
- Wooden Spoon, Spatula or Whisk (Or all 3!)
- Measuring Spoons
- Toothpick or Skewer
Ingredients
- 100 g Margarine (Or room temperature unsalted butter)
- 100 g Caster Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 100 g Self-Raising Flour
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 160 in a fan-assisted oven & line your cupcake tray with cases.
- In your mixing bowl place the margarine & caster sugar, and cream together until you have a smooth mix.
- Add in your eggs and beat together to make a light and fluffy mix. I ended up using a wooden spoon, spatula and whisk to get the consistency I wanted, so just have a go with whatever you've got. You want to make sure there are no lumps of any of the individual ingredients.
- Add your Vanilla Extract and mix through.
- Add your Self-Raising Flour and mix it through so you ave a smooth and silky mixture. But stop as soon as it has all come together and there are no lumps of flour.
- Spoon the mixture into your cupcake cases, don't fill them any more than three-quarters full, or the mixture will spill out of the cases while baking and you won't get beautifully domed tops.
- Place your cupcakes in the oven and bake for around 18 to 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 the cakes 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 into the cake and if it comes out perfectly clean your cakes are ready.
Notes
See main post above for notes on margarine V unsalted butter.