Simple Vanilla Cupcakes

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Simple Vanilla Cupcakes – Nigella Lawson Simple Vanilla Cupcakes topped with Royal Icing. These are made in the food processor and are simple to bake.

Need a really simple and beautiful cupcake? Here you go. I love to lay in bed at night and leaf through cookbooks. It calms me. One of my favorites is Nigella Lawson’s How to Be a Domestic Goddess. I was intrigued by the idea of icing the cupcake with royal icing. It kept me up that night. I woke up the next morning and made these immediately. And then we ate them all. They were delicious.

When I made these cupcakes for the first time I was convinced that there would not be enough batter to fill all 12 liners. But there was, you just need to have a little faith and you need to completely scrape the bowl. The cupcakes only need a few tablespoons of batter because you really do not want them to bake up higher than the cupcake liners. You need room for the icing to cover the top and leave of blanket of sweet goodness. This icing is perfect for travel because it dries hard. It is like the frosting that you get on a Christmas cookie. These are a wonderful little treat. I like to put sugared flowers on mine that you can find in a bakery supply store or even at a craft store. But they are just as beautiful plain.

Ingredients //

For the cupcakes:

• 1 stick plus 1 Tablespoon butter room temperature
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 eggs room temperature
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 to 3 Tablespoons milk temperature

For the Royal Icing:

• 2 egg whites (or powdered egg whites)
• 3 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• food coloring (optional)
• sugared flowers (optional)

* adapted from Nigella Lawson *

Instructions //

Step 1:

Put all of the ingredients in a food processor except for the milk.

Step 2:

Pour the milk through the tunnel and process until smooth.

Step 3:

Put the batter in the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until brown in a 350 degree oven. Cool completely and then ice.

Step 4:

Combine the egg whites and confectioners sugar in a mixing bowl and whip with a mixer until opaque and shiny, about 5 minutes.

Step 5:

Whisk in the lemon juice to thin out the icing.

Step 6:

Mix for a few more minutes until you reach the consistency for spreading on cupcakes.

Step 7:

Spread the icing on the top of the cooled cupcakes.

How cute are these sugar flowers?

Step 8:

Top with a sugar flower and let harden.

My new favorite cupcake.