Bella Cupcakes - Gerbera Daisy Cake Theme

• Serves: 6-12
• Prep Time: 15-20 mins
• Total Time: 30-40 mins

Ingredients

• 125g softened butter
• 125g caster sugar (or superfine sugar as it is known in the US)
• 125g self-raising flour
• 2 medium size eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Either ready-to-roll pre-colored fondant in your chosen colors (white
• varying shades of green
• and red
• yellow and/or green for the daisies. I actually used pink for the cupcakes in these pictures because I made them as part of a Bella pink party theme) OR
• White ready-to-roll fondant and gel paste coloring in your chosen shades

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190 C (Gas Mark 5, 375 F). Line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper baking cups, ideally in green or pink.

2. First you need to beat the softened butter and the sugar together in a bowl. Now, when I first began making cupcakes I would shove all the butter and sugar in the bowl and then start beating - I have since learned that by adding the sugar little by little, you get a much lighter (and better!) sponge. So add a small amount of the sugar, start beating, and then gradually keep adding the sugar in until you have used it all.

3. Once the mixture is soft and creamy, stop to add the other ingredients. Crack the eggs into another bowl and beat briefly to mix the white and yolk, then add the two tablespoons of milk. Add this to the butter and sugar mix, along with the flour.

4. Beat again until all the ingredients have combined and you have a nice creamy batter.

5. Add a dollop of batter to each baking cup. I use an ice-cream scoop-full of batter and scrape it out with a spoon, using the back of the spoon to flatten down the tops. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched.

6. Allow to cool for a few minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Do not add any toppings to the cupcakes until they have completely cooled!