RIN'S PERFECT VANILLA CUPCAKES

RIN’S PERFECT VANILLA CUPCAKES

Vir die wat gevra het vir die beste kolwyntjie resep op die blog in Engels, met my veranderinge en metodes daarby, weet nie wie Rin is nie, maar baie dankie aan haar.

Prepare two muffin trays with paper cups in the hollows. Spray lightly with non stick spray.
Set oven on 180°C (Thermofan on 160°C) to heat.

3 large eggs separated (keep the whites to beat later)
187 ml castor sugar (I only bake with castor sugar, dissolves quicker than normal sugar)
62 ml canola oil
125 ml water at room temperature
5 ml vanilla* essence

With the whisk attachment on Kenwood blend the egg yolks, castor sugar, essence, water and oil until it looks frothy and pale.

Sift together:
140 g (250 ml) cake wheat flour
10 ml baking powder
pinch of salt

Sprinkle over the liquid mixture and change the attachment to the K-beater. Blend until all the flour incorporated making sure you scrape flour off the sides of the bowl.

Beat the egg whites and a pinch of cream of Tartar (makes it set quickly) until stiff and fold gently into the batter with a metal spoon.

Note:
I added 15 ml of coloured sprinkles to my batter for a confetti look. Perfect for kids party cupcakes.

Spoon the batter into the prepared paper cups with ice cream scoop.
Bake for 15 mins at 180°C in normal oven
OR
Bake for 18 min at 160°C in thermofan oven (my preference).

Remove from the oven.
They should be pale golden colour and slightly spongy when pressed on top with your finger.
Allow to cool completely before icing.

BUTTERCREAM ICING

Enough for the 24 cupcakes for a decent amount of swirled icing on each.

200 g soft butter (use white Wooden Spoon margarine if your want a pure white icing)
4 x 250 ml (520 g) sifted icing
5 ml vanilla* essence (use white vanilla essence for pure white icing)
Food colouring to taste whether its powder, liquid or gel (add sparingly, drop by drop until the correct shade is achieved)

Using the flexible beater on Kenwood, beat the butter until pale and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and beat until all the icing sugar is incorporated into the butter. Add the essence and enough milk to make the icing spreadable. Now you can slowly add the food colouring if using any.

Spoon into a piping bag with nozzle fitted and pipe onto the cupcakes.

*Note: the vanilla essence can be replaced by any flavour essence of choice.

Special note:
The texture of this cupcake is fine, soft and moist and even after keeping a few in the fridge overnight it was still soft. I also froze a few to test and just ate one. It defrosted perfectly at room temperature even with the buttercream icing on it. Texture is still perfect and soft as if just baked. So I would 100% recommend baking, icing and freezing ahead for big deliveries. You can take straight out of freezer on delivery day, pack into containers and hit the road.
This is now the only cupcake recipe I will use for home baking and supplying customers.
I’m going to play around with new flavour ideas. Salted caramel popcorn being first on my list.

Recipe posted by Elsabie Templeton
Photo: Elsabie Templeton

Photo 2
Icing for Cupcakes with fresh lime juice buttercream icing and zest
(method stays the same)

200 g soft butter
4 x 250 ml (520 g) icing, sifted
juice and zest of 2 small limes (tip zest first then cut and squeeze the juice out)
1 drop (maybe 2) liquid lime green dye, just a hint of green is enough

Photo 3
Lockdown day #32 Cosmic chocolate cupcakes. Just because 😂 and a kitchen full of glitter 🙈
Recipe with 45 ml dark cacao added to the batter together with the flour and 90 ml dark cacao added to the icing powder for butter icing. Cacao does make the mix a bit dry so add milk 5 ml at a time until the icing is the right consistency for what you want to do.