Midnight Trysts

Tonight, I had a mega craving for a sweet and savoury snack. Raiding the pantry, I realised I hadn't THAT much to play around with but found some basic bits to whip up some cupcakes with a peanut butter frosting. Not quite Martha Stewart, but a fantastic snack and gift (if your frosting skills are better than mine!! The best part, all you need is a whisk, a tablespoon, and a bowl

Classic Fairy Cakes (makes 6)

50 g Softened Butter

50 g Caster Sugar (or 4 table spoons)

50 g Self Raising Flour (or 4 table spoons)

1 large egg

1 table spoon of milk (or 1.5 table spoons)

1 tsp vanilla essence

Whisk softened butter with sugar until a creamy consistency. whisk in egg and vanilla, and fluff in sifted flour and milk. Mix the dough just until everything is incorporated. At this point, the mixture should hold relatively well on the whisk. No runny mixture here. Spoon into cupcake tins lined with colourful fairy cake liners and bake for 15-20 mins at 180 degrees until golden brown.

While you wait, make the peanut butter frosting with

80 g Softened Butter

100 g Icing Sugar (3.5 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon peanut butter
a few drops of vanilla essence or 1 satchet of vanilla sugar. If you use vanilla sugar, reduce icing sugar accordingly (about 10 g)

Whisk (with an electric hand mixer I have come to realise, or if you have awesome muscles) until you get a pale creamy mixture of a relatively fluffy consistency. Incorporate peanut butter and whisk for another 8 minutes. Scoop frosting into a piping bag or ziplock bag and place in fridge to set.

By now your cupcakes should be done. Let them cool on a baking rack for about 30 minutes and pipe frosting onto the top of these little gems. If you are using a ziplock bag, snip off just the tip and frost accordingly. Sprinkle with some hundreds and thousands and voila, happy home made cupcakes in under 45 mintues! 

:)