The Best Cream Cheese Frosting!

Being 6 1/2 months pregnant, I get cravings all the time. I've made cupcakes twice this week now and I'll use any excuse to make more. Particularly with the easy recipe I use. I often struggle with the topping and icing though. I am not very creative and the last time I tried to use red food colouring in my cupcake frosting, it turned out looking like when you wash white clothes with a bright red top - no , not a lovely pink colour, but rather a dull, greyish mauve. Needless to say, they didn't look very attractive.

I have been looking for a simple and quick cream cheese frosting for a while now. I love cream cheese and find it lighter, creamier (and possibly healthier?) than Buttercream Frosting. I stumbled upon this recipe when I googled 'Cream Cheese Frosting' and Carrot and Cream Cheese Cupcakes was the first recipe that came up. It happened to be on www.bbcgodfood.co.uk - one of my favourite recipe sites and as it got 5 stars, I decided to go for the cream cheese recipe part that went with the carrot cupcakes.

Ingredients
100g butter, softened
300g soft cheese
100g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
Beat the butter and soft cheese together until smooth and then add the icing sugar and vanilla extract and beat some more.

The result was simply divine. I don't think I have ever tasted more delicious cup cakes (even if I do say so myself). And the cream cheese frosting was light, fresh tasting and not too sweet. What more could you want from a cream cheese frosting?

Simple Ingredients

Ready to eat after 3 minutes!

All boxed and ready to go!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

First of all, let me begin by saying, I am no Delia Smith. I would even go as far as saying I can't really cook. My idea of throwing a meal together is literally just that - throwing whatever is about to expire in the fridge, in a pan and putting a few teaspoons of every Indian spice in my spice rack along with it.

Having said that, I am good at one thing, great in fact and that is following a recipe to a tee. And what better recipe to start my Food page with, than by baking cupcakes?! Everyone's favourite.

I found this cupcake recipe on www.allrecipes.co.uk and love it because it is so easy and I tend to have all the ingredients in my baking drawer.  

Ingredients for Cupcakes
Makes: 24 cupcakes / 12 muffins

175g (6 oz) softened butter
175g (6 oz) caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
175g (6 oz) self-raising flour

Method

Prep:10min  ›  Cook: 30mins  

• Preheat the oven to 170 C / Gas 3
• Put the butter and sugar into a mixer and whizz up until light and fluffy
• Pour in the vanilla essence and add the eggs - whizz again to make a yellow batter
• Add the flour and mix until it is smooth, about 5 minutes
• Spoon into fairy or cupcake cases
• Bake for about 30 minutes. Keep an eye on them
• Leave on a cooling rack for 30 minutes or until cool, then decorate with the Chocolate Buttercream

Note: The recipe I got this from states the cupcakes should be in for 14 mins, however I find that 30 mins cooks them thoroughly, especially because I use muffin cases.

Making the cupcake batter

Can you spot my spotty cases?

Muffins or Cupcakes?

Ingredients for Chocolate Buttercream
Makes: 2 Cups

85g butter
175g icing sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon milk

Method
Prep: 10mins

• Mix butter and icing sugar well until smooth
• Add in cocoa powder and milk and mix again until smooth
• Put the mixture into a piping bag and decorate

Making the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

                                   

Get the piping bag out

To sprinkle or not to sprinkle?

The proof is in the pudding!