Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

I'm currently baking my way through the Crabapple Bakery Cupcake Book, and yesterday I made the classic vanilla cupcakes and combined them with chocolate fudge frosting.

The result was delicious! The chocolate fudge frosting is lovely and thick enough to creat decent icing layers and is a great texture for the cupcake 'swirl'. I'm currently perfecting my swirl, but it is looking pretty good and almost (well, sort of) at the Magnolia Bakery (aka Global Cupcake Benchmark) level.


Vanilla Daisy Cupcakes - makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
200g softened unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups castor sugar
4 eggs (room temperature)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk (room temperature)

Method
Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Line two 12-holed muffin trays with cupcake papers.

Sift together the flour and baking powder. In a separate bowl, cream the butter for 1-2 minutes. Add the castor sugar a third at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each addition. After the last addition, beat until the mixture is light and fluffy and the sugar has almost dissolved. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition or until mixture is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

Add a third of the creamed mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Add half of the milk and beat until combined. Repeat this process. Add the remaining third of the flour and beat until thoroughly combined; do not over-beat as this will toughen the mixture.

Spoon mixture into cupcake papers, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a fine skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the trays immediately and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before frosting.
 
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Makes 4 cups frosting - enough for 24 cupcakes (keeps for 1 week)


Ingredients
8 cups icing sugar
1 cupa cocoa
200g softened butter
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method
Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter for 1-2 minutes. Add the milk, vanilla extract and half of the icing sugar mixture and beat for at least 3 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the remaining icing sugar and beat for a further 3 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy and of a spreadable consistency. Add extra milk if the mixture is too dry or extra icing sugar if the mixture is too sweet.

Frosting and decorating the cupcakes immediately afterwards...And voila! Delicious vanilla cupcakes with chocolate fudge frosting!