Pumpkin Cupcakes with Avocado Icing {Veggie Desserts + Cakes by Kate Hackworthy}

This week Kate Hackworthy had her very first book published Veggie Desserts + Cakes: Carrot Cake and Beyond! After having followed her blog for a few years and interacting with her on social media I was delighted to have the opportunity to check out her book!

There are no illusions that sugar and flour and all the things you need to bake exist in her recipes. In my review (in previous post) I mentioned in that Kate didn't write her book to hide vegetables away in baked goods, but to show how they can shine!

There were so many recipes to choose from and this one, even though it has more of an autumn feel, stood out to me. I love pumpkin and the spices used with it! I was unnecessarily weary of the avocado icing - I thought "this is never going to work."

It did.

It turned out beautifully. The avocado I had might have been on the small side and I did need extra icing sugar to get in into a spreadable consistency. It was when I could coat my spatula in the icing and turn it around without it dripping that I felt I had it right. 

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Avocado Icing 

125g unsalted butter, softened 

125g granulated sugar

2 large eggs

150g pumpkin puree (canned or puree cooked pumpkin or butternut squash)

2 tsp vanilla extract

175g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp salt 

100ml milk

Avocado Icing

1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled

250g icing sugar 

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Heat the oven to 170C and line your cupcake pan with paper cases.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and beating each one in well, then beat in the pumpkin and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt.

Alternating, add one-third of the flour to the egg mixture and stir to combine, then one-third of the milk. Repeat until all the ingredients are combined.

Spoon the batter (I like using my medium ice cream scoop) into the cupcake cases until nearly full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

To make the avocado icing -
Puree the avocado with a hand blender until smooth and creamy, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the icing sugar and lemon juice and beat with an electric mixer until thick. You may need to add more icing sugar, depending on the size of your avocado, to get a thick piping consistency. Spoon into a piping bag and frost the completely cooled cupcakes as desired. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

*as I said above I needed to add more icing sugar - I didn't feel the need to pipe the icing I just used a palette knife to apply and smooth out the icing!

These cupcakes turned out great for me! The cake is nice and soft and has a great taste with all those great spices and pumpkin! The icing, as I mentioned above, I was weary of, but it turned out well! The avocado acting as the butter for the icing gave it an interesting flavor that complimented the pumpkin cake well!

Visit Kate's blog Veggie Desserts or see more of her delicious recipes on one of social media channels - Facebook or Instagram or Twitter! 

Check out how these other bloggers got on trying out Kate's recipes:

Chocolate Cauliflower Ice Lollies - on Recipes from a Pantry
Cavolo Nero and Orange Cupcakes - on The Hedge Combers
Beetroot and Vanilla Sorbet - on Natural Kitchen Adventures
Carrot Gingerbread - on Farmersgirl Kitchen
Carrot Gingerbread - also on Ren Behan
Avocado Lime Tarts - on The Veg Space (check out this post to win a copy of Kate's book!!)
Pea and Vanilla Cake with Lemon Icing - on Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary
Kale Apple Cake - on Tin & Thyme
Courgette Poppyseed Loaf - on Family Friends Food
Courgette Poppyseed Loaf - also on Baking Queen 74
Strawberry and Spinach Swiss Roll - on Foodie Quine
Pea and Mint Cupcakes with Rose Water Buttercream - on Kavey Eats

Irn Bru Cake - Birthday Traditions Gone Awry

When I was growing up we always got to decide what we wanted for dinner and what sort of cake we wanted for our birthday’s. So, it’s what I do for my husband and daughters. Last week my husband celebrated his birthday so, the customary questions applied. “What cake do you want and what do you want me to make for dinner?” 

He told me he didn’t have a preference of cake or his birthday dinner. How typical and extremely annoying.

When I was studying art at school they gave us a project. They said create an ad for this company (a company they made up) they gave us a brief and set us free. We were stuck before we got started. Without knowing what the company/brand wanted we didn’t know where to start. Was it a print ad? Do they have a logo or are we designing one? What sort of color schemes do they use or want? Who is the audience?


This is how I feel when given creative rein on a cake and even dinner when it’s not for myself. How do I know if he was actually feeling like a hamburger instead of the chicken quesadilla’s that I ended up making. What if was actually thinking of a chocolate dream cake?

I like knowing what people want so I can do my best to provide it. Perhaps it’s a good thing we’ve been together 10+ years and I managed to do things right with the Irn Bru Cake and chicken quesadilla’s. However, after 10 years I’m sure he’s smart enough not to tell me if I got it wrong.

Right. So, yes I decided to make him an Irn Bru Cake, due to the fact that he loves the stuff. Back in the beginning of my blog I attempted to make Irn Bru Cupcakes, but they didn't turn out as well as expected. So, even though I was a little weary of trying it as a cake I was curious to see if I could make it work.

It doesn’t have a strong Irn Bru flavor, but a very subtle, yet distinct taste that works. Before you get started I should warn you that it’s very sweet.

Irn Bru Cake 

165g unsalted butter
320g caster sugar
3 eggs
200g plain flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
90ml Irn Bru
peach gel food coloring

Heat the oven to 170C and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking paper. If the short sides are exposed instead of messing around with more baking paper just lightly grease it with some butter. Anything to keep things simple.
Beat the butter and sugar together until lighter in color and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until just combined. Then beat in the flour and vanilla until just combined. Gently fold in the Irn Bru and a butter knife tip of peach gel food coloring with a spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes. Use the skewer test to test if it’s done. Leave to cool in the tin a while you make the icing.

Icing: 

approximately 125-150g of icing sugar
blue gel food coloring
1-2 tablespoons of Irn Bru
orange and yellow star sprinkles, to decorate (optional)

I tend to just throw icing sugar in a bowl and add liquid until I get the constancy that I want. Which is what I suggest you do, start with 125g of icing sugar and add a tablespoon of Irn Bru. Mix if you need more of one or the other adjust it until you get a smooth runny constancy. Add the food coloring gel and pour over the cake. Decorate with sprinkles of your choice, preferably orange/yellow colored!

notes: recipe was adapted from hummingbird bakery: Life is Sweet

Oatly Chocolate Mini Donuts

Today I know at least 3 people who can’t have any dairy of any kind. It seems more and more people need to seek out alternatives to milk.

Oatly have been producing their oat drink since the1990’s at a time that people thought they were a bit ambitious and perhaps a bit crazy. 

It’s a good thing they didn't listen to the naysayers because today there is a need for milk alternatives. 

Baking is something that can be a bit tricky when trying to accommodate for people who have different food needs. 

Oatly not only tastes good, it has a very nice subtle oaty taste, but it also works great in baked goods!

I have already had success making cupcakes with Oatly’s Original Oat drink, so I thought I would try the Chocolate version. I thought of cupcakes again, but wasn't feeling it. Then I thought of cookies because of cookies and milk and all that. I dismissed that pretty quick as I have never baked cookies with milk in them.

Then I thought of donuts and it just felt right. I have started this new thing where I go with my gut instincts, because usually they are right. It’s actually pretty creepy how often I am right about something.

For instance these donuts. 

I was totally right about these donuts! They have a nice rich chocolaty flavor and just one feels pretty guilt free! Not that it is, its just mini so you know….

One thing before I get to the recipe: I used sour cream, but I think you could substitute a soya yogurt or similar to make it completely dairy free. However I had sour cream in my fridge and I wanted to use it up. Waste not and all that stuff. 

Anyway here’s how I made them in case you want to make them too!

Oatly Chocolate Mini Donuts:

160g plain flour

40g cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 medium egg

120g sugar

150ml The Original Oatly Oat Drink Chocolate

2 tbsp sunflower oil

2 tbsp sour cream or soya yogurt

½ tsp vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 180C/350F and grease the mini donut pan. I use silicone pastry brush and sunflower oil. If it’s not greased properly they will stick.

In a small bowl whisk all the dry ingredients together. Then in a bigger bowl whisk the egg and sugar together before adding the milk, oil, sour cream, and vanilla.
Then by hand gently beat the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined and smooth.

It can be spooned into the donut pan or piped. Piping is somewhat easier, but the batter is very smooth and can run out so it just depends on what’s easiest for you. I like piping because it’s a bit quicker. Fill the indents no more then ¾ full.

Bake for 7-9 minutes. Leave to cool slightly before carefully turning them out to cool completely. I suggest cleaning out each indentation and re-greasing between bakes. 

Oatly Chocolate Glaze

150g icing sugar

1 tsp cocoa powder

2-3 tbsp The Original Oatly Oat Drink Chocolate

Mix all the ingredients together. Start with two tablespoons of Oat Drink to see if it’s the right consistency before adding another one in. If you put your finger in the icing it should stick to your finger and leave a bit of a stiff trail. Once the donuts are cool, fill a baggie or piping bag and make a very small hole in the tip to pipe on the donuts or dunk them in to cover the tops completely. Then eat! Enjoy!

notes: In association with Oatly: visit their website here if you’d like to learn more. All opinions are my own – for more information please see my contact/policy. Check out my Oatly Espresso Cupcakes! This is being entered in Cakeyboi and The Baked Explorer’s monthly Treat Petite baking challenge.

The Bundt that started it all: Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Dotty and Dave Dalquist started Nordic Ware in 1946 from their basement in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the 1950’s they introduced America to the Bundt pan, but it wasn’t until the 1966 Pillsbury Bake Off that made them a hot commodity.

Thanks to one Ella Helfrich who entered the Bake Off with her recipe for a Tunnel of Fudge Cake baked in a Bundt pan.

The saying that no one remembers who came second isn’t exactly true. If you look at the list of winners for the Pillsbury Bake Off you won’t see Ella’s name. Because she came second, but her recipe has become somewhat famous inspiring all sorts of molten chocolate cakes.

If you caught it above that Nordic Ware was started in Minneapolis, Minnesota then you will have probably guessed I managed a visit to their factory store while with my sister in the city.

It has been up graded from a basement into a massive factory.  The store was my kind of place. It was full of any and every kitchen appliance you could ever want. I would have happily moved in. I wish I had had a bigger weight allowance for my suitcase!

Even though I didn't pick up a Bundt pan, I did pick up a copy of Classic Bundt Recipe Book that has a lot of traditional recipes including one for the Tunnel of Fudge Cake.

Originally it was made with a Pillsbury chocolate frosting powder, but they discontinued it so a ‘from scratch’ recipe was created.

Aren't we glad it was?!

I used my new traditional Bundt pan that I have never used before! I felt that it was fitting that the first time in the oven was to bake the cake that made it famous! It turned out a little lighter then I expected. It seems a bit more milk chocolaty then dark chocolaty. However it still tastes delicious! 

I have adapted it to grams from cups. When cups are used it can vary by how the individual fills said cup. So, this is how I made it.

Tunnel of Fudge Cake:

370g (1 ¾ cups) granulated sugar

256.5g (1 ¾ cups) unsalted butter, softened

6 large eggs

310g (2 cups) icing sugar/confectioners’ sugar

395g (2 ¼ cups) plain flour/all purpose flour

70g ( ¾ cups) unsweetened cocoa powder

225g (2 cups) walnuts, toasted & chopped

Heat the oven to 180C/350F, then grease (butter) and flour a 10 inch or 12 cup Bundt pan. Or use a cake release spray.

Beat the granulated sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Gently beat the eggs together and add them little by little beating well in between each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Gradually add the icing sugar and beat until just combined.

Sift the flour and cocoa powder together in a separate bowl. Add about a third to the batter and fold in with a spatula or wooden spoon. Then repeat until all the flour is folded in. Lastly fold in the walnuts until well mixed. Spoon the batter into the Bundt and smooth it down.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is set and the cake is starting to come away from the edges. Cool in the pan for about 1 ½ hours before gently turning it out onto a stand or serving plate. Cool for at least 2 more hours or more.

Chocolate Glaze:

115g (¾ cup) icing sugar/confectioners’ sugar

30g ( ¼ cup) unsweetened cocoa

1 ½ to 2 tbsp whole milk

Sift the dry ingredients together. Then whisk in the milk until the consistency allows it to be drizzled on top!

notes: Please note that it's the nuts that make this cake work, you can substitute another nut! Find out more about Nordic Ware here! There is more on the Pillsbury Bake Off here. My favorite blog to find bundt recipes is on The Food Librarian because I like big bundts as much as she does! Don't forget to mark your calendars for the 15th of November because it's National Bundt Day!

Blueberry Cake Mini Doughnuts!! {cooking with kids}

Before Mini Baker started school I never felt I had a problem finding stuff for us to do. Since she’s started school now when she’s off I find myself struggling to keep her entertained.

I enjoy baking and I’m glad she does too. I am not completely naïve to assume we will always have the same interests. But for now I’m glad we have something to share in hopes that she remembers them fondly.

Mini baker is always asking me for doughnuts, she’d have them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! A while back I picked up a copy of Mini Donuts by Jessica Segarra and a silicone mini doughnut mould from Lakeland’s so I could make her doughnuts!

Not for every meal of course, but for the times we were at a loss of what to do with ourselves! The recipes in this book are super simple. Piping the batter into the mould is more suited for adults, but everything else kids can easily do!

A quick update as well, everyone at the moment is feeling better! The littlest Mini Baker was napping during the doughnut making, but she sure enjoyed helping us gobble them up! 

Blueberry Cake Mini Doughnuts

adapted from Mini Donuts by Jessica Segarra

1 ¾ plain flour, sifted

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 large egg

¾ cup granulated sugar

3 tbsp vegetable oil (plus a little extra for greasing pan)

¼ cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup whole milk

½ cup blueberries, chopped

Pre-heat oven to 180C

Using a pastry brush and a little vegetable oil to grease the doughnut pan/mould, then tip the pan over onto a kitchen towel to drain excess oil.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and set aside. Whisk the egg and sugar together before adding the oil, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix well until combined.

Fold in half the flour, then half the milk, and the rest of the flour, followed by the rest of the milk. Make sure there are no lumps before folding in the chopped blueberries!

Fill a piping bag or plastic bag and cut the tip off, it can be a bit tricky as the batter just runs out. Fill each doughnut mould about ¾ full, sometimes it goes over, but that is okay! Then bake for 7-10 minutes they should spring back when touched or use the skewer test if you’re unsure. They might slightly brown around the edges, but are still a bit pale. Carefully un-mould the doughnuts and cool on a cooling rack. 

While they are cooling make the icing:
1-2 tbsp whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ cups icing sugar

2-4 drops each of pink/blue food dye

sprinkles

Mix the icing sugar with 1 tbsp milk and the vanilla. Add additional tablespoons of milk one at a time until you get a pourable consistency.

Place a piece of greaseproof paper under the cooling rack and drizzle the icing over the tops and add sprinkles for extra sparkle! Then eat!! Best eaten on the day.

notes: Mini Donuts by Jessica Segaarra: blog, Amazon UK & USA; Lakeland’s Silicone Mini Doughnut Mould. This post is my entry for the competition to win a lovely range cooker from Range Cookers! There is a day and a half yet to enter! Check out the details here!!

I want you Cherry Cola Bundt Cake [Clandestine Cake Club recap]

Since the Clandestine Cake Club book has been published in February I have heard lots and lots about this secret cake club on all the social media sites and other blogs. So, finally I got around to finding one in my area! Just as I joined up a new event was posted and I emailed my host right away! This month’s theme, for the Reading CCC, was Bake Me a … Song.

This was a very good theme and I had a hard time deciding on a song/rhyme. I thought of a cookies and cream cake for the rhyme/song “Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?” Or a coconut and lime cake for that song that goes “…put the lime in the coconut and mix it all together…”

 I settled on “I Want You” by Savage Garden and made a Cherry Cola Bundt Cake. I maybe should have used "Lola" by the Kinks. Doesn't matter I'd have made the same cake! 

I had a really good night eating cake and meeting some lovely new ladies who also made some wonderful cakes! I was stuffed! Every cake was absolutely gorgeous! I know because I tried each one! Don't judge! 

Here is a list of the cakes that were made:

Louise - 'Milkshake' by Kelis. Cake: Strawberry Milkshake Cake

Rebecca G - Sweet & Salty' by Covenant. Cake: Sweet & Salty Cake

Lisa - I want you 'Cherry Cola' by Savage Garden. Cake: Cherry Cola Cake

Jen P - Peaches by Presidents of the United States Cake: Peach Cake

Fiona & Rebecca - Running up that Hill by Kate Bush. Cake: Chocolate Sponge

Jenny - Enter Sandman by Metallica Cake: Honey Cake with Honey icing & honeycomb topping

Marilena - Lemon Tree by Oasis. Cake: Lemon Cake

Katy - Lady Marmalade by Labelle. Cake: Chocolate Orange Cake

Bethan - Oranges and Lemons Nursery Rhyme. Cake: Orange and Lemon Cake

All the lovely cakes!!

And if you’d like to have a go at my bundt cake that will make you want to sing “oh I want you I don’t know if I need you, but ooo I’m dying to find out…” (sorry it had too...)! Enjoy!!

I Want You Cherry Cola Bundt Cake

adapted from Rootbeer Bundt Cake in Baked New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito

2 cups cherry coke

1 cup cocoa powder

114g butter, (I used salted as it was in my fridge if you use unsalted add a full tsp of salt)

1 ¼ granulated sugar

½ cup dark brown sugar

2 cups plain flour (all purpose flour)

1 ¼ baking powder (soda)

½ tsp salt

2 large eggs

Pre-heat oven 170C/325F grease your bundt tin in you’re preferred way. I always spray with a non-stick spray and then lightly dust with flour then tap out all the loose flour. I have never had a problem getting my cakes out.

Melt the butter over a medium heat with the cherry cola and cocoa powder. Once melted add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Take off the heat and while cooling dry whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Lightly beat the eggs together before whisking them into the cooled butter mixture. Lastly gently fold the flour into the mixture - it will be slightly lumpy. Don’t over mix otherwise it could be tough. Pour batter into your prepared bundt tin, if you don’t prepare it will stick no if’s and’s or but’s. Bake for 35-40 minutes, mine needed the full 40! Rotate half way through. Use a skewer or toothpick or sharp knife and insert in the cake to test that it is done. Once it’s done let it cool completely before attempting to loosen it from the tin. I left mine for at least an hour before turning it out.

Cherry Cola Icing

2 cups icing sugar

3 tbsp Cherry Cola

1-3 tbsp cherry juice

1-4 drops pink coloring (optional)

Whisk the icing sugar and the 3 tbsp until it’s a paste then add a tbsp at a time of the cherry juice until you get a pouring constancy. If you want it pinker add a couple drops of pink food coloring at a time until it’s the shade of pink you want!

notes: Clandestine Cake Club official site find a group near you!; CCC book Amazon UK & USA (kindle) and The Book People; Baked official site; Baked New Frontiers in Baking Amazon UK & USA; I want you by Savage Garden: Sweet like a chica cherry cola...

Pizza Sugar Cookies!!

My daughter turned 5 on Friday! I can't believe how fast it's gone! I know all parents say that. When I was pregnant I used to get annoyed by all the people who would tell me that it would go fast. Now I'm saying it myself, because it's so true.

To celebrate we let her have her first party. With her birthday so close to Christmas we tended to only have small family parties. People are so busy this time of year I didn't want to add one more thing others lists! First I wanted to throw her a My Little Pony Party or a Winter Princess Party, but most of her friends are boys and we were having it in the house. We are limited to space, so 5 of her friends were invited for a Pizza Party!!

I had all sorts of fantastical ideas of it being the best party ever with the kids making their own pizzas and having hand made aprons to take home as their party gift... I'm glad I chucked those ideas right out of my head!! In the end I bought pizzas and made these delicious vanilla cookies for them to take home in their party bags.

to make: use your favorite sugar cookie recipe!! I used Shauna Sever's Big, Soft Frosted Vanilla Sugar Cookies from her book Pure Vanilla. I wanted them to look like mini pizzas so, I dyed 1/3 of the frosting red. Spread that on first for the 'tomato sauce', then the white on top of that for 'cheese' then used different sprinkles for the 'toppings'!

I asked the kids if they thought they looked like mini pizzas, all of them, but one polite little girl, said no! Ah well, they were still delicious!! Now I have about 7 weeks to decide what to make for the littlest ones birthday! They really do grow up fast!!

note to self: 4/5 year-old's aren't really all that interested in games they were way more happier just playing then when I was trying to coax them into Pizza Bingo or Pizza Darts and Hot Tomato. note to other parents: I hate party bags. They end up in the trash the second they leave your party. Pure Vanilla is available on Amazon UK or US. My views on the book and the Lemon Dream Bars I made from it.

Sugar Cookeis and Granola Bars!! by Janet

If you are in the USA most schools will be out for summer in the next few weeks, if you are in the UK you still have like 2 months! My sister has been busy with making treats for her kids teachers and end of school parties. My birthday was yesterday so I have some fun cupcakes to share with you soon, so until then here is what my sister, Janet has been up too!! ~ Lisa

Apple Cookies

What better way to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week than with these fun apple cookies?!
I made sugar cookie cutouts with the recipe I found in SprinkleBakes. But you can use your favorite sugar cookie recipe. I found my apple cookie cutter at a local speciality store or on Amazon (US link)
Then, once they were cut, baked, and cooled I made Royal Icing- from Martha Stewart's Cookie book.

I took out 3-6 cups of runny icing and poured them into 3 bowls. I tinted one each red, green, and yellow (with a dab of green). Then I flooded a 3 dozen apples, 1 dozen of each color. Then I tinted about 3/4 C of icing brown for the stems. Then, I slowly added more confectioners sugar to my mixer and blended the remaining icing until it was a thicker consistency. I filled my piping bag and outlined all of the apples with white.

Yummy Granola Bars:



If you're in the UK you can use any chocolate chips
and mini mallows!!



I made these for my daughter's preschool celebration. They were easy and super yummy!

Here is the recipe for the granola bars!

I added mini marshmallows :)

~Janet aka Indiana Baker!

3D Cookies!! by Janet

My sister, Janet, sent me these pictures of her 3D Cookies she made for the cake walk at her kids' school.  She told me she used her favourite and most reliable shortbread recipe from Martha Stewart.

Last fall she made these fun snowflake cupcakes!

For those readers in the UK I am not sure these cutters are available here- will have a look next time I am in Hobby Craft. They carry a lot of Wilton brand stuff. Joann's in the states is where these are available or probably any other reliable baking store or site like this one!

Fluttershy's Spring Time Cupcakes!!

I thought as a fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic my Mini Baker and I would make something for each main pony!

So, we made apple pies for Apple Jack and now we made some spring time cupcakes for Fluttershy!

I have ideas for Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, but I am finding the unicorns to be a bit more challenging! I will be posting them all on here as I figure them out!

This vanilla cupcake recipe is adapted from Love Bakery: Cupcakes from the Heart by Samantha Blears. I talk about the book in this post!

I didn't have enough butter so I used only 100g in each the cake and frosting. Then I added the dye and sprinkles to my liking. They still turned out very yummy!! They are the best vanilla cupcakes I have made to date.

Fluttershy's Spring Time Cupcakes

100g unsalted butter, at room temp

125g caster sugar (super fine sugar)

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs (medium 53-63g), at room temp

125g self-rising flour

½ tsp baking powder

3 tbsp semi-skimmed milk

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas4

Cream together the butter, caster sugar, and vanilla for 7 minutes or until light and fluffy - easier done with an electric mixer, but not impossible with a hand mixer.

Add the eggs one by one and mix for 2 minutes

Mix the flour and baking powder together and then add to the mixture. Mix until just incorporated.

Add the milk and mix for another minute. Do not over mix.

Divide evenly between the cupcake liners in your muffin tin.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Once they are taken from the oven immediately transfer them to a cooling rack!

 for the frosting:

125g unsalted butter, room temp

½ tsp vanilla extract

250g icing sugar sifted

1 tbsp semi-skimmed milk

a couple of drops of red food dye (or whatever color you want)

Cream the butter and vanilla for 2 minutes until light and fluffy

Add the icing sugar and milk and mix for another 2 minutes until well blended.

Add a drop of dye (depending on what shade/colour you are after!) Mix well!

to finish:

Once the cupcakes are completely cooled pipe or spread the icing on top. Then to make these Fluttershy’s Spring Cupcakes I added little butterfly sprinkles that match her cutie mark! You can add whatever sprinkles you like, as these are easy, plain, delicious cupcakes that are very versatile! Enjoy!!