Vanilla Cupcakes

I love vanilla.  It is a much underrated spice.  Vanilla is associated with "plain" or "not exciting".  I think it's time to give it more love.

Vanilla is the flavour people leave in a Neopolitan pack it equates with "no flavour" which is wrong... well I think it deserves more than that.  It is the delicious fragrance of patisserie.  It's time to rediscover it.


Vanilla Cupcakes - Makes 6-9 depending on size

Ingredients

2oz, 60g Margarine
2oz, 60g, Caster sugar
Seeds from a vanilla pod (or a few drops of vanilla extract)
1 egg
2oz, 60g SR flour
1/4 tsp Baking powder
1 tbsp milk

For the icing
Just over 1/2oz, 20g Butter
A few drops of vanilla extract
A few drops of boiling water
Icing sugar (confectioners sugar) to mix

Method

Preheat the oven to 180oC, 350F, Gas Mark 5.

Using an electric whisk or food processor, blend the margarine and sugar and add the scraped out seeds from the vanilla or add the extract.

Whisk in the egg to the margarine and sugar.

Add the flour and baking powder to the mix then whisk in enough milk to make a soft dropping consistency, approx 1 tbsp.

Put a dsp in fairy cake cases (or cupcake cases).  Bake for approx 10 minutes or until when pressed on the top, they bounce back.  If you use large cupcake cases, they will take longer to cook (and you won't make quite so many.)

Take out of the oven and allow to cool.

To make the vanilla icing, melt the butter as before, add in a few drops of real vanilla extract then add in a few tbsp icing sugar and about a tsp of boiling water, mixing and adding more icing sugar until you have a pipeable consistency.

Pipe using a piping bag onto the top.

This is also a great recipe to use for trifle sponges (just don't ice them).