Vanilla Cupcakes
- 20 tbsp lightly salted butter, softened
- 11/2 cup superfine sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 5 eggs
- 22/3 cup self-rising flour
- 2 tbsp milk
- Vanilla Cupcakes (see recipe below), baked in a mixture ?of white and lilac baking cups
- baking cup
- plenty of lavender sprigs
- fine lilac ribbon, cut into 11-inch (28-cm) lengths
For the Vanilla Cupcakes: Use two 12-cup muffin pans, baking those on the lower shelf of the oven for a few extra minutes if necessary. If making larger quantities, mix and bake them in separate batches. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper baking cups and preheat the oven to 350?F. Put all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with a handheld electric mixer until smooth, creamy, and pale in color. Divide among the baking cups, filling them about two-thirds full, and bake for about 25 minutes until risen and just firm to the touch. Let stand in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool.
Icing
- 8 cup none
- 3/4 cup lemon juice
To make the Icing: Mix the confectioners’ sugar with enough lemon juice to make a smooth glaze that is not quite thick enough to hold its shape when the spoon is lifted from the bowl. (Add the lemon juice cautiously once nearly mixed so you don’t over thin the icing.) Stir in a little lilac food coloring.
To finish: Spread the icing over the cakes with a spatula so that it just starts to run over the sides of the cakes. (If it’s too runny, work in a little more confectioners’ sugar; if it’s too thick to spread, add a dash more lemon juice.)
Tie the lavender sprigs together in twos with the ribbon and press gently ?onto the icing.
Recipe courtesy of Wedding Cupcakes by Joanna Farrow, 2012. Published by Spruce a division of Octopus Publishing.
