Pink Cupcakes

Thankfully I'm already totally in keeping with the Pink Campaign by Breast Cancer Care with my oh-so-pink blog. And here's another oh-so-pink and shamelessly girly Pink Cupcake recipe in honour of breast cancer awareness month. Make as many as you want, hundreds if you got the time and the man power (or woman power, depending on your household demographics). Take them into work,  school, college, uni, your reading circle, anywhere you please and ask everyone to make a donation per cupcake, they look so scrummy no one could possibly refuse and you'll have a tidy sum to send off to Breast Cancer Care, plus everyone will remember you as the pink cupcake extraordinaire, it's win win!
You can decorate the cupcakes any way you want to, you could use edible glitter, hundreds and thousands, or even in the shape of boobs a la Lisa Lynch. Just make sure they're fab, fun and PINK!
Send me any pics of your Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Cupcakes or any other charitable baking your doing this month in aid of Breast Cancer Awareness, Id love to feature your pictures on the blog so email them to me at the usual address.
now for the baking.
Above are a few pics of some previously made Pink Cupcakes, I'm baking my batch up at the weekend, so I'll post the snaps up on Sunday.


Ingredients
I've given the amounts for a big old batch of 24 decent sized cupcakes

• 250g/9oz Butter
• 250g/9oz Caster sugar
• 4 Large eggs (beaten)
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 250g/9oz Gluten-free self raising flour (Doves Farm, Glutafin,Dietary Specials)
• A few drops of pink food colouring (optional)

For the frosting

• 160g/5 1/2 oz Butter
• 500g/18oz Icing sugar
• 2 tsp Vanilla essence
• 2-4 Drops of food colouring
• 3-4 tbsp Milk

Method

• Whack the oven right up to gas 6/200c, the cupcakes only need 20minutes in a super hot oven.
• Line your cupcake trays with some down right delicious cupcake cases, I'm using some super girly pink flowery cases my mum bought for me which I featured in the post Something for the weekend.
• Using the guns (which are probably very honed by now!) or a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until smooth.
• Add the egg a bit at a time, mixing after each addition. Now is the time to plop in your vanilla, and also your food colouring if your adding it.
• Sift in the flour and give the whole lot a really good mix until the mixture is smooth, well mixed and lump free. 
• Spoon into the cake cases and pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes. they should be well risen and golden on top, if your unsure whether they're still cooked after 20mins, give them a gentle press (don't go in like a bull in a china shop because all the will in the world isn't going to make the cakes spring back if you've stuck you finger in them). The cakes should spring back to your touch. Still not sure? Poke a skewer in, if its got cake mixture on, pop back in the oven for a few more minutes. If its clean, remove the cakes from the oven.
• Leave to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool down for a while before you ice them.
• To pass the time while your cupcakes cool mix up your icing. This frosting is best made in a food mixer, its smoother and creamier and saves some serious RSI aggro. Mix the icing sugar and butter together in the mixer until well combined, add the milk, vanilla and food colouring and give it a good whizz up until the whole lot is well mixed and the food colouring has been incorporated through the entire mixture evenly.
• Ice your cakes and decorate however which way you like making sure yours are the most fabulous pink cupcakes on offer.

  

http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/