Our cupcake recipe is perfect for beginner bakers or children who want to learn how to measure, mix, and bake cupcakes.
For these cupcakes you only need five ingredients. The recipe will make 24 cupcakes which can be frozen once baked and cooled if you like. These cupcakes are delicious as they are but you can also have fun decorating them with your favourite toppings.
If you like the sound of these basic cupcakes, you'll certainly want to try our chocolate cupcake recipe, or how about making Hummingbird Bakery's vanilla cupcakes recipe? And for those of you looking to take your cupcake-making skills to the next level, try our rainbow cupcakes.
Ingredients
- 250g unsalted butter, softened
- 250g caster sugar
- 250g self-raising flour
- 4 medium eggs
- 4 tablespoons milk
- Pinch of salt (optional)
You will also need:
- Ice-cream scoop (optional)
- 2 x 12-hole muffin tins, lined with paper cases
WEIGHT CONVERTER
Method
- Heat the oven to 190C (170C, Gas 5). Line two muffin trays with 12 cupcake cases in each or bake in batches of 12 using one muffin tray.
- Start by creaming butter and sugar together in a bowl using a wooden spoon or electric whisk. Beat until soft, fluffy and pale in colour. Then add the flour, eggs, milk, and salt and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
- Divide the mixture between all the paper cases making sure to get an even amount of mixture in each. You can use an ice-cream scoop for this.
- Put the lined tins in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then swap the position of the tins over so the bottom tray is now at the top of the oven, and visa versa, and bake for a further 3-7 minutes, until both trays of cupcakes are a light golden colour.
- To make sure they are fully cooked, poke a clean skewer into the cupcakes - if it comes out clean the sponge is cooked. Remove the tins from the oven.
- Leave the cupcakes to cool in the tins for a few minutes and then transfer them onto a wire rack to cool. Once completely cooled you can decorate with buttercream, icing mixture, and much more.
Watch how to make cupcakes
Top tips for making this cupcake recipe
These easy cupcakes are very delicious on their own but you can decorate them in a variety of ways if you like. Some people like to use a sweet buttercream icing or a cream cheese frosting is popular in America. You can make a piping bag and use different nozzle attachments to create swirls and patterns on top or your cupcakes or simply spread on with a spoon or palette knife.
You can read our guide on how to ice cupcakes if you'd like more inspiration or continue reading below for tips and tricks that will help you make perfect cupcakes every time.
Can I change the flavour of this cupcake recipe?
It’s easy to turn these basic cupcakes into zingy lemon cupcakes or even rich coffee cupcakes; just follow the method above and add drops of your chosen extract to add flavour to each cupcake.
A few drops of vanilla extract give a wonderful sweet flavour or as food writer Jessica Ransom recommends, adding the zest of an orange, lemon, or lime to the cake batter for a cheap and tasty flavour boost.
How can I make sure all of my cupcakes are the same size?
To make sure your cupcakes bake evenly, use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake cases with the mixture. This will make sure you have an even amount of mixture in each case and that they should rise to the same height.
Alternatively, you can weigh the final batter and divide the total by 24 to work out exactly how much batter you need for each case. Food writer Jessica Ransom says: 'Another simple technique is using a tablespoon measure and putting a couple tablespoons of mixture into each case until it's all distributed.'
How long do you bake cupcakes for?
On average a batch of cupcakes should take no longer than 20 minutes to bake. We'd recommend baking the cupcakes for 15 minutes and then checking.
Food Editor, Jessica Dady says: 'I love making cupcakes and have been making them for years. My rule is to bake for 15 minutes until they look golden or are springy to touch on the top. If your cupcakes are slightly sunken in the middle don't open the oven as they are not done yet. Leave for another 3-5 minutes and check. Poke with a skewer and if its clean when it comes out of the cake it means the cupcakes are cooked. If not, bake for a few minutes more and check.'
She adds; 'If your cakes are taking ages to cook, but are starting to brown on top, you may not have let your oven pre-heat fully so cover the cakes in tin foil to stop them from browning further and leave them to bake for another 5 mins checking each time. For more top tips on baking cupcakes and cakes in general, see our what's wrong with my cake guide for a full Q&A.'
Do cupcakes need to be refrigerated?
Cupcakes do not have to be refrigerated once baked and cooled. They can be kept at room temperature on the kitchen counter in an airtight container or tin. If your kitchen is warm, you may want to put your cupcakes in the fridge but keep in mind that this may dry them out.
If your kitchen is hot, or you're making cupcakes in the summer months, it may be best to keep them in the fridge - especially if you're topping with buttercream - be it chocolate buttercream icing or lemon buttercream - as the heat will melt and spoil the buttercream.
Food Editor, Jessica Dady says: 'Our kitchen is warm as I'm always cooking so I line the tin or Tupperware with some kitchen paper to absorb any moisture or cupcake 'sweat' that may occur when storing in the kitchen.'
She adds; 'But if I've added buttercream to my cupcakes, I pop them in the fridge to 'set' and then take them out when ready to serve.'
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