Stunning party bakes
Cupcakes are great for parties as they’re individually wrapped. To make a feature of them, ask your neighbours to make a variety of flavours. The cupcakes can then be stacked on a layered tower stand to make one tall centrepiece, or over di erent cake stands and plates to make a colourful cupcake table. Or, if you’re feeling ambitious, try arranging them into bouquets – see our orange & almond cupcakes recipe on bbcgoodfood.com to learn how.
Celebration cupcakes
You can make these cupcakes up to a day ahead, or freeze undecorated ones for a month. Defrost at room temperature, then take inspiration from our decorating ideas, right.
MAKES 24 PREP 2 hrs 30 mins COOK 25 mins MORE EFFORT V ❄ un-iced
3 eggs
200g natural yogurt
2 tsp vanilla extract
250g caster sugar
280g self-raising lour
140g ground almonds
250g butter, softened
To decorate
250g butter, softened
300g icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
500g ready-to-roll fondant a variety of food colouring gels (we used pink, blue, purple, yellow and green) extra icing and decorations, depending on your choice of design (see tips , right)
Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/ gas 3 and line two 12-hole mu n tins with paper cases. Tip the eggs, yogurt, vanilla, sugar, flour, ground almonds and butter into a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth. Divide between the cases and bake for 25-30 mins (swapping the trays after 15 mins if you have to use two shelves), or until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Will keep in an airtight container overnight or frozen for up to a month.
2 To decorate, beat the butter and icing sugar together with an electric whisk until light and fluy. Spoon heaped teaspoons of buttercream over each cupcake and spread out to cover, or pipe over using a piping bag with the end snipped o.
3 Divide the fondant into pieces and knead each with a drop of colouring gel (using as many colours as you like) until the colour is evenly distributed. Leave one piece plain. One by one, roll each of the fondant pieces out on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar. Use a 6.5cm fluted cutter to stamp out rounds, then press the rounds onto the top of the cupcakes. Use this as a canvas to decorate as you wish or try our ideas (see right).
PER SERVING 408 kcals • fat 22g • saturates 12g • carbs 49g • sugars 42g • ibre 1g • protein 4g • salt 0.5g