RECIPE: Baby cupcakes with sprinkles

THE O’Brien family loves baby cupcakes for a few reasons.

1. They last longer. Mum: “You can only have one. OK?’’. Princess Ella: “But I want two, mum. Please?’’ Mum: “OK, you can have two.’’ In effect, she’s really only having half a cupcake in total. Genius.
2. As a result of No. 1, there’s more for mum and less guilt when I have four… or eight!
3. They just look so damned cute. Don’t you think?
4. You can turn your back to your child who’s busily drawing, pop a whole one in your mouth and chew quickly without them even noticing. Again, genius!

Makes

48 mini cupcakes

Ingredients

• Canola or vegetable oil spray
• 200g butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 4 eggs
• 2 3/4 cups self-raising flour
• 1 cup milk  

Icing

• 50g butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar mixture
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Pink food colouring
• Hundreds and Thousands

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Oil four 12-pan muffin tins (if you only have two, like us, then you’ll need to cook in two batches).

Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla essence with an electric mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined. Add the flour and milk and stir with a spoon until just combined.

Spoon mixture into the muffin tins. Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

For the icing, use an electric mixer to beat the butter until pale. Gradually add the icing sugar while beating. Add the milk and beat until combined.  Add pink food colouring sparingly. Apply icing to the cupcakes with a butter knife. Dip the top of the cupcake into a plate of Hundreds and Thousands.

Tell us, how do you like to decorate your cupcakes? If you have link to your favourite cupcake recipe or photo of your own decorated cupcake, feel free to share it.

If you like this recipe, you might also like Chocolate Brownies.