Vanilla Cupcakes

A cupcake is same as a cake just that they are baked separately in small cups. I love to bake them as it takes much less time to bake and also can be served individually.

The recipe I have baked is the Vanilla cupcakes just that wanted to add some colors to it. So made them in the primary colors - Red, Blue and Yellow. Some of them I made as Tricolor in a cup. The buttercream I planned to use was American Buttercream, but ended up making the White Chocolate Buttercream.

Ingredients :

• 2 and 1/2 (325 g) All-Purpose Flour 

• 2 cups (414 g) Granulated Sugar

• 3 teaspoons Baking Powder

• 1 teaspoon Salt

• 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

• 2 Large Eggs, room temperature

• 1 cup (240 ml) Whole Milk

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) Vegetable Oil

• 1 cup (240 ml) Water

Method :

• Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). I kept my oven at 338°F (170°C).

• In a mixing bowl add all the dry ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a paddle attachment mix them on low speed.

• In another bowl mix the wet ingredients - vanilla, eggs, milk and oil and using a hand whisk mix them all. DO not add water at this point.

• Increase the speed to middle, add the wet ingredients slowly to the dry and let it mix till all the ingredients are well mixed.

• The batter will be very thick at this point, keep the mixer on and add the water little by little. (I used 1 cup full water.) The batter will be runny.

Adding colors to the batter :

• For adding colors either mix the whole batter of same color or divide the batter equally into 2-3 different bowls.

• Using a spatula fold the color in the batter. I used yellow, red and blue. Add the color little at a time.

Bake a cupcake :

• Use a spoon and fill 3/4 of the cup with the batter (I used a ice-cream scope).

• In one of the cupcake pans I tried the tie-dye version. I filled the cup half way with yellow color batter, then using a spoon first added red color and then the blue color batter.

• Bake the cupcakes for 12-15 minutes in the preheated oven. Using a toothpick check if cupcakes are done. Take them out and keep it for cooling for 30 minutes atleast before decorating the cake.

Decorating the cupcake :

• I used the White chocolate buttercream to decorate the cupcakes.

• I colored the buttercream with same colors as the batter.

• Flatten a cling wrap sheet on the kitchen surface and using a spoon put the colored buttercream each next to each other in a line.

• Now fold the cling wrap slowly without adding much pressure on the buttercream and twist the two sides so as the buttercream doesn't leak.

• Cut one end and slowly insert it in the piping bag attached with nozzle of your liking.

• The tie n dye buttercream is ready for use.

• Decorate the cupcake using the buttercream.