NZ's hottest home baker

I watched an episode of "NZ's Hottest Home Baker" featuring a cupcake challenge and became immediately inspired to bake my own batch of cupcakes.

Dad actually baked the cupcakes while I made the frosting, which is my favourite part of baking cupcakes anyway. Don't let the recipe name fool you, these are just plain vanilla cupcakes but with two different types of icing.

Best Ever Cupcakes

(Recipe adapted from Annabelle White)

Ingredients:

• 125 g soft butter
• ¾ cup castor sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 11/2cups self raising flour
• ½ cup milk

Method:

1. Take your softened butter (not melted) but soft through into your cake mixer and beat till white in colour.
2. Add sugar and continue to beat. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time.
3. Sift in flour and add milk and give the mix a good beat – quick but sure (10 beats) – do not over mix.
4. Place into 12 cup cake cases and into a 160 deg C fan bake for approx. 15 mins or when spongy to touch.

Cinnamon Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

(Recipe adapted from The Blueberry Fiend)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2-3 tbs. milk (to reach desired consistency)

Method:

1. With an electric mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat, on low speed to combine. Add milk if needed.
3. Add cinnamon and continue beating until fully mixed.

Before adding the cinnamon, I split the icing into two parts to frost half of the cupcakes with Cinnamon Vanilla Buttercream and the other half with Chocolate Frosting.

Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:

• Same ingredients as Cinnamon Vanilla Frosting but add 1/4 cup melted chocolate chips instead of cinnamon.

Method:

1. Same method as Cinnamon Vanilla Buttercream but add melted chocolate chips instead of cinnamon and beat until fully mixed.

Dad went a little crazy with the decoration and made each cupcake look different by adding dried cranberries, chocolate chips, cinnamon, cocoa powder, icing sugar and almonds.