From this simple basic recipe you can try any number of variations.

Ingredients

• 125 grams butter, softened
• ½ cup caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1¼ cups self-raising flour, sifted
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 quantity butter icing (see recipe this website)
• 12 glace cherries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper cases.
2. In a bowl beat the butter, sugar and vanilla essence together until light and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Fold in the sifted flour alternately with the milk. Divide the mixture evenly among the paper cases.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until well risen and golden. Cool and serve iced with butter icing and garnished with a glace cherry.

Cooks Tips

Rainbow cup cakes - divide the mixture in thirds. Colour one third pink, another green and the last one blue or yellow. Spoon small amounts of each colour into each paper case. Coconut cup cakes - replace ¼ cup self raising flour with desiccated coconut. Ice and decorate with toasted, flaked or thread coconut. Coffee cup cakes - warm the milk and stir in 1 tablespoon of instant coffee granules. Allow to cool before using. Flavour the butter icing with 1-2 teaspoons of coffee granules dissolved in a tablespoon of hot water. Or try a lemon icing - delicious with coffee cakes. Cherry cup cakes - add ½ cup chopped glace cherries. Colour the icing pink.