Recipes
There are always new recipes to discover and old favourites to make over and over again.
There are a number of things that can make a recipe a fantastic success for one person, and an absolute flop for somebody else. The key is to test and try. And to also check your oven temperature is correct - I'd really recommend getting an oven thermometer.
The recipes below are ones I've tried and use regularly.
~ Louise
My Buttercream Recipe
This is honesly one of the simplest buttercream recipes there is - just three ingredients and a splash of water or milk. It's similiar to American Buttercream, but instead of vegetable shortening, I use unsalted butter. I love this recipe because I don't have to measure as I just use a whole packs (UK standard), I can easily double the batch, and it pipes beautifully and keeps it shape. It has a good crust and works well not only only cupcakes but for cakes as well.
INGREDIENTS (12 cupcakes)
- 500g icing sugar
- 250g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cooled boiled water or full fat milk
INGREDIENTS (24 cupcakes, or one 8" cake filled and crumb coated)
- 1kg icing sugar (use two 500g packs)
- 500g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons cooled boiled water or full fat milk
METHOD
I use a K-Mix stand mixer with a paddle beater and an icing guard. If you don't have an icing guard, throw a teatowel (kitchen towel) over the top of the mixer to stop icing sugar puffing everywhere. Make sure not to cover the fan / ventilation part of your mixer.
- Put all your butter into the mixer and beat until smooth. If you wish for your buttercream to be pale, beat the butter for longer until it lightens in colour or add icing whitener. Once you have added icing sugar you can't beat it paler as you will fill your buttercream full of bubbles.
- Turn the mixer off and add one 500g bag of icing sugar. Add your vanilla essence and cooled boiled water or full fat milk.
- Turn your mixer on slowly and mix your butter and icing sugar. Once mixed, it may look a bit like breadcrumbs, turn the speed up a bit and mix until you have a smooth buttercream.
- If you are making a double batch of buttercream, this is when you would add your next bag of icing sugar and another tablespoon of water or milk. Same process as step three.
Adding colour: if you wish to colour the entire batch of buttercream, add a little bit of colour during step three. Building it up. You can also colour small batches by mixing small amounts in a bowl.
Flavouring: you can easily use other essences instead of vanilla. Just substitute them in step two.
Recipe & Method: Sugar Vanilla Stencils
Chocolate Cake (wedding cake recipe)
I love this chocolate cake and have made it numerous times. You can half it or make a serious amount of cake.
By Jane Hornby - BBC Good Food
Lemon Drizzle Tray Bake Cake
This is honestly one of the yummiest lemon drizzle cakes ever, and super quick and easy to make as well.
By Dame Mary Berry
Vanilla Sugar Cookies
These are the very first sugar cookies I ever made. This is the UK version, and I leave out the baking powder.
By Calle - Sweet Sugarbelle
Chocolate Sugar Cookies
These are yummy. All purpose flour is plain flour, don't substitute with self raising flour.
By Georganne Bell - Lila Lola
Recommended Books
In my kitchen I'm fortunate to have an entire bookcase of cook books. I've listed my go to baking and cake decorating books in my Amazon storefront. Just click below to have a look.
* please be aware that this is an Amazon Affliate link and I may earn a small comission *