Cupcakes or Fairy Cakes as I often call them, were once just a flashback to our indulgent days of childhood but recent times have seen a growth in their popularity as a party-time dessert.

Not to be confused with American muffins which are prepared using oil, cupcakes are normally made by using the creaming cake making method, which demands equal weights of butter (or margarine), sugar, eggs and flour – for perfect results, accuracy is important!

To begin, the fat in the form of either butter or margarine is creamed with a wooden spoon or electric mixer until the mixture lightens in colour and becomes fluffy in texture, which traps air in the form of tiny bubbles and acts as a raising agent. It is personal preference whether to choose butter or margarine, butter producing a richer colour and flavour though do avoid the reduced-fat alternatives which are not normally recommended in baking.

Next, beat in the eggs until evenly mixed. Add a little egg at a time, beating well after each addition until the mixture thickens, the fat (butter) becoming emulsified by the egg yolk and therefore prevented from curdling (separating) – if the mixture does curdle, add a little flour from the weighed amount which will help re-stabalise. At this stage the beaten eggs trap yet more air into the mixture.

Sieved flour is folded into the mixture. Sieving introduces air and folding-in with either a metal spoon or spatula will cause the minimum of disturbance to the air bubbles. It is so important not to beat the flour which would release all the trapped air producing a heavy texture and reducing the volume of the finished cake.

Any additional dry ingredients, such as cocoa or coconut are folded into the mixture with the flour and liquids or fruit are normally folded in afterwards.

Bake at the appropriate temperature (180 degrees C) until well risen, an even golden brown colour, and set.

A plethora of cupcake ideas exist, new notions limited purely by imagination. Invent decoration, consider presentation but do bake cupcakes then appreciate the reward of smiling faces.

Click on the links below to try some cupcake ideas from recipes2share:

Butterfly Cupcakes

Lemon & Basil Cupcakes

Mokaccino Cupackes

Orange-Polenta Cupcakes with Orange-Rosemary Frosting

Poppy Seed & Lime Cupcakes