Floral Cupcakes

Hopefully you have some time off work to celebrate Easter and can enjoy a spot of baking. These pastel floral cupcakes are just the thing when you have a little more time on your hands to play around with piping.

Ingredients:

For the vanilla cupcakes (makes 24 regular sized or 12 large):

• 4oz margarine
• 4oz caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4oz self-raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1tsp vanilla extract

For the buttercream icing:

• 250g soft butter
• 500g icing sugar
• 1-3tbsp milk

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and fill two x 12 hole muffin tray with baking cases.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time until they are incorporated.
4. Sift the flour and baking powder together and add this 1/3 at a time to the mixture.
5. Add the vanilla extract.
6. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for around 20 minutes so they are springy to the touch and a skewer inside comes out clean.
7. Place on a cooling rack and leave to cool, then you can decorate as you please.
8. For the icing, beat the butter until creamy.
9. Add the icing sugar and beat until combined.
10. Add the milk gradually until the desired consistency is achieved.
11. Divide into small bowls and add gel colouring to each so you have a variety of colours of icing.
12. Spoon the icing into a piping bag with:
    • a star for the rose shape
    • PME: 53 (or other large leaf nozzle) for Sunflowers
    • Wilton 104 – carnations, ruffles etc
    • Ateco 866/844 or Wilton 2D for roses
13. Decorate as you wish.