Vanilla Chocolate 'Half and Half' Cupcakes

Ingredients List

Makes 12 medium sized cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

250g Self Raising Flour

250g Caster sugar

250g Butter

3 med-large Eggs

3 tablespoons Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 tablespoon Cocoa Powder

For the buttercream frosting:

125g Butter

250g Icing Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

A few drops of food colouring (I used a natural red colouring to achieve the salmon pink colour of mine)

Preheat your oven to gas mark 4 (180 degrees centigrade)

Line 2 x 6 hole muffin tins with decorative cupcake cases

If you have one, try to use a see-through bowl so that you can check that all the ingredients are incorporated in the mixture as you go along.

If you are like me and always forget to get your butter out so it is nice and soft in preparation for you baking extravaganza, then fret no more! Place the required amount of butter in a microwave proof bowl. Put in the microwave for 10 seconds on full power. Take it out and turn the piece/pieces over and repeat again for another 10 seconds. This should then be plenty soft enough for your beaters to tackle. Don't put the butter in for a full 20 seconds in one go! You will end up with and unusable pool of gloop.

Cream together the butter and sugar using an electric whisker (life is too short for hand beating...) and beat until really light, creamy and fluffy.

Add the vanilla extract and 1 egg. Beat with the electric mixers again until fully combined. Add the 2nd egg and 2 tablespoons of milk, mix again until fully combined, and then finally the third egg and mix again.

Once all the eggs are in it is time to banish the electric convenience tools and embrace the bicep. Basically, whenever adding flour, do not use electric means. You will over-mix and/or knock all the lovely air out of the mixture.

Sieve your flour into the mixture. Try and get a good 30-40 cms between your sieve and bowl to get lots of air into the mixture (Do not do this if anyone is watching - they will peer scathingly at you as a fine layer of flour coats everything in your kitchen.).

Fold in the flour with a wooden spoon or spatula. Do not over mix at this stage as you will undo all of your hard work. Mix until the ingredients are just combined and no flour is visible (this is a good time to check the underneath of your see-through bowl for hidden flour-ball enemies).

Split the mixture in half into 2 bowls. In one of the half-mixtures, sieve the 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder in and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of milk. Fold the mixture until the newly added ingredients are combined in the mix.

Divide the chocolate half of the mixture amongst the 12 cupcake cases (it will probably be around 1 generous teaspoon per case). If you want to have 'half and half' cupcakes, then smooth this layer down in the case with the back of the teaspoon. If you want to marble the cakes then leave un-smoothed. Add the remaining vanilla half of the mixture to the cases. If making 'half and half' cakes then smooth down again. If making marble cakes then use a cocktail stick and swirl the 2 mixtures together until a nice rippled look is achieved, then smooth the top down.

It is time for baking!

Put your cakes in the middle of your preheated oven. Try to put the cakes on the same shelf if they will fit, to avoid uneven baking. Your cakes will take roughly 20-25mins to cook but keep an eye on them. I normally turn mine around about 15 mins into cooking time to avoid the back ones getting too dark in colour.

The cakes are cooked when they are slightly golden on top, and springy to the touch. If still unsure, put a metal skewer into the centre of one of the cakes. If it comes out clean, it is cooked and cake-eating time is fast approaching.

Take the cakes out and leave them to cool in the cake tins for 15-20 mins before taking out to cool completely on a wire rack.

Do not attempt to put icing/frosting on your cakes while still warm! The result is most unappetising...

Now for the buttercream topping:

Again, you will need your butter to be soft for this so if you have forgotten to take your butter out of the fridge, repeat the steps above for rectifying this. Put half of the icing sugar and all of the butter in a bowl and mix with electric beaters until fully combined. Add the vanilla extract, food colouring and remaining icing sugar and beat again until lovely and fluffy.

Use a small spatula, palette knife or non-serated edge of a knife to smooth the buttercream onto each cake.

Feel free to add any additional decorations to prettify your cupcake beauties!

Here are my finished ones;