Failsafe Cupcakes

I do a fair amount of baking but for a long time I avoided making cupcakes. They have a reputation as pretty basic but i have never found them easy to get right. Over beating the mixture or leaving them in the oven for too long meant i was always left with a dry and unappealing batch of cakes. Then i discovered this Martha Stewart gem. I don't use or peruse her recipes much but I know she is the go to woman for cupcakes. The use of buttermilk in this recipes means its pretty much impossible to produce something dry and the cake flour makes the cakes lovely and light. Distributing the batter evenly among the patty pans is now my biggest cupcake challenge. i also use Martha's frosting recipe, which is soft and smooth but not runny. It pipes easily, a bonus as this is not a strength of mine,  and sets to keep its shape. You can find the original cupcake recipe here, and the frosting here. The real fun of cupcakes is the patty cases, you can find so many achingly cute ones these days. I love the Robert Gordon ones, but they are an awkward size and don't fit into my muffin trays. They do make a good sized cupcake though. This recipe makes heaps and heaps so you can either half the recipe or freeze any left overs (in an airtight container).     

Happy cupcaking! 

Ingredients: 

3 cups PLAIN cake flour 

1 1/2 plain flour 

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt 

250g unsalted butter, at room temp

2 1/4 cups castor sugar

5 whole eggs*, 3 yolks (freeze whites), room temp 

2 cups buttermilk, room temp

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line tins with patty cases. Sift together both flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With an electric mixer on medium to high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (this always takes awhile for me, 10 mins or so). Reduce speed to medium. Add whole eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed (if mixture curdles add a spoonful of flour) . Add yolks, and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each. Beat in vanilla.

Divide batter as evenly as you can among patty cases. Bake for 20 mins or so, rotating tray halfway through cooking time if you can remember. A skewer poked into the middle of one should come out clean or with only a few crumbs, when they are ready. transfer to wire rack and cool. Frost and decorate as you wish. 

*The eggs should be about 70g, but if you have small ones just weigh them and use however many total 350g (shell on)