Bake It Happen 7 Delicious Cupcake Recipes

Kids love making cakes - not only because they’re delicious, but because they love to get involved in cooking. They see us doing it every day and it’s a great way to get them accustomed to using the kitchen.During lockdown, baking may have become slightly more difficult - whilst empty supermarket shelves deprive us of those staple baking ingredients. But fear not - we cater for flour-free baking too! However, if you have been lucky enough to get your hands on some flour, why not take part in Cupcake Day, and try one of these tasty recipes or have a look at these fairy cake decorating ideas for kids?Vanilla cupcake bouquetThis amazing edible bouquet takes a little time to prepare but the results are beautiful - the aim is to decorate them to look like a wonderful bunch of flowers.Ingredients for the cakes:300g unsalted butter250g natural yoghurt6 eggs beaten2 tsp vanilla extract250g self-raising flour300g golden caster sugar140g ground almond½ tsp baking powder For the icing:300g unsalted butter softened600g icing sugar2 tbsp milk2 tsp vanilla extractfood colouring of your choice500g white fondant icingMethod: Heat oven to 180C and prepare 15 muffin cases. Melt the butter, then leave to cool a little. Transfer to a large jug and stir in the yoghurt, eggs and vanilla. Beat until combined.Tip the flour, sugar, almonds, baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt into a large bowl. Stir to combine. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix using an electric whisk.Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases so they are two-thirds full, using all of the mixture. Bake in the oven for 25-30 mins, until a skewer comes out clean when you put it in one of the cakes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.Then, to make the icing. Beat the butter with half the icing sugar, then, once smooth, add the remaining icing sugar, the milk and vanilla extract. Beat again until fluffy and smooth. Reserving two large spoonfuls of the icing for the fondant cupcakes, halve the remaining icing and put into two bowls. Add a few drops of different colour food colouring to each bowl.Roll out 250g of the fondant icing and use cutters or a knife to stamp out flower shapes. Stick these onto the cupcakes using some buttercream underneath.Apply or pipe the two colours of buttercream to the rest of the cupcakes, in a flower pattern. If it helps - you can paint on flowers using food colouring and a paintbrush.Display your bouquet of finished cupcakes on a circular plate with napkins overlaying the edges.Lemon and poppy seed cupcakesThese zesty cakes are the perfect Spring/Summer treats!Ingredients for the cakes:225g self-raising flour175g golden caster sugarzest 2 lemons1 tbsp poppy seeds, toasted3 eggs100g natural yoghurt175g butter melted and cooled to room temperature. For the icing:225g butter softened400g icing sugar, siftedjuice 1 lemonfew drops yellow food colouringyellow sprinkles Method:Heat oven to 180C and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake or muffin cases. Mix the flour, sugar, lemon zest and poppy seeds together in a large bowl. Beat the eggs into the yogurt, then tip this and the melted butter into the dry ingredients. Mix together with a whisk, then divide between the cases. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then carefully lift onto a rack to finish cooling to room temperate.For icing, beat the softened butter until really soft in a large bowl, then add the icing sugar and lemon juice gradually while still beating. Stir in enough food colouring for a pale lemon colour, then spread or pipe it on top.Repeat to cover all the cakes, then top with sugar decorations or scatter with yellow sprinkles. Vegan cupcakesA delicious alternative.Ingredients:150ml almond or soya milk½ tsp cider vinegar110g vegan butter or sunflower spread110g caster sugar1 tsp vanilla extract110g self-raising flour½ tsp baking powder For the icing:125g vegan butter250g icing sugar1¼ tsp vanilla extracta few drops of vegan food colourings Method:Heat the oven to 180C. Line the holes of a 12-hole cupcake tin with paper cases. Stir the milk and vinegar in a jug and leave to thicken slightly for a few mins.Beat the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until well combined. Whisk in the vanilla, then add the milk a splash at a time, alternating with spoonfuls of the flour. Fold in any remaining flour, the baking powder and a pinch of salt until you get a creamy batter. Don’t worry if it looks a little curdled at this stage.Divide between the cupcake cases, filling them two-thirds full, and bake for 20 - 25 mins until golden and risen. Leave to cool on a rack.To make the buttercream, beat the butter, icing sugar and vanilla with an electric whisk until pale and creamy. Divide between bowls and colour with different food colourings until you get desired strength. Spoon or pipe onto the cooled cupcakes. Moon cycle cupcakesEncourage young budding stargazers, bake their way through the moon cycle with our tasty chocolate cupcakes. Arrange them in the right order to make a moon cycle display and test your science skills.Ingredients:175g softened unsalted butter175g caster sugar3 large eggs150g self-raising flour50g cocoa powder4 tbsp icing sugar100g blue ready-made fondant icing100g black ready-made fondant icing140g white fondant icing Method:Make the cake mixture - the same as the recipes above, but adding the cocoa powder too - by putting all the ingredients in a large bowl and using a hand-held electric whisk, beating for 2-3 minutes, until fluffy. Add the mixture into the muffin cases, then bake for 20 -25 minutes. When the cakes are cooked, take them out of the oven and transfer to a wire rack. You will need 8 cakes to make a full moon cycle.Mix 3 tbsp of the icing sugar with enough water to make a spreadable paste and set aside. Knead the blue and black fondant icing together until the colours are almost blended, leaving a few streaks of blue.Dust a work surface with a little icing sugar and roll out the coloured icing so that it’s large enough to cut out 12 x 7cm rounds. Spread a little bit of icing sugar paste on top of each cake to use as ‘glue’ and stick an icing round on top.After rolling out the white icing - cut out shapes of all of the different moon phases and stick on top of each cake.Using a pastry brush, apply a tiny bit of water over darker icing to allow edible glitter to stick and look like the night sky.Then, have fun arranging your cakes in a lunar cycle! This is a great way to test your astrology knowledge. You can also make your own little Earth cupcake to place in the centre.‍ Hungry for more? Try these cupcake ideas that we’ve found elsewhere…Coconut cupcakes: these are certainly an opinion divider! You either love or hate coconut - so if you’re the one clearing out the Bountys from the Celebrations pack, then these will definitely be for you.Vanilla cupcake jars: these are great to display as they’re slightly different from your average cupcake. And they will use up your leftover and recycled jars! They would also make a really great present for loved ones.Prosecco and strawberry cupcakes: these ones may just be for parents (which may be difficult during lockdown). If you’re a Prosecco fan you’re bound to love this recipe.