Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream

I have baked my cakes using this basic recipe for ages – with variations from time to time. It is a recipe for Basic Tea Cake from the Family Circle’s Cooking with Commonsense Cook book. With this cookbook I have cooked my food with plenty more good results than not.

For the cakes you will need:

60 grams butter

½ cup caster sugar

A pinch of salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup milk

¾ cup self-raising flour

3 tablespoons plain flour

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees C. Sift flour and salt into a bowl and set aside. With electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and creamy, add egg and vanilla, beat until combine.  Lower the speed of your mixer and add flour and milk alternately – start with flour and end with flour. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake tin line with cupcake papers (about ¾ to the top). Bake for about 20 minutes. Leave to cool completely.

Coffee Buttercream

100 grams icing sugar (you need to add 30 – 50 grams more if the weather is warm)

50 grams butter

1 – 2 teaspoons strong espresso coffee

Beat the above ingredients with electric mixer until thick and fluffy. Pipe the cream onto the cakes with piping bag with star nozzle.