Variation on Vanilla Cupcakes

Apologies for lack of eye candy but these little blighters ended up in my belly (or in tonights case in my neighbour's belly - that's what 'normal' people do at 10pm right? You hand cupcakes over your fence as you both stand outside hanging out washing - or is that just myself and my neighbour?) before I could take pictures.

Basic Vanilla Cupcakes
125g Butter Melted
2 Cup SR Flour
3/4 Cup Caster Sugar
3/4 Cup Milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 Egg

Melt Butter - add dry ingredients on top, then milk/eggs/vanilla (to avoid eggs and milk going weird), mix until well combined.

Pour into patty pans lining cupcake tray (I personally use stock standard Willow 12 Hole Muffin Tin) - about 3/4 full will give you 20ish cupcakes that are just slightly above the top of the paper when baked.

Bake for 10-15mins (or until a skewer comes out clean) at 180 (160 fan forced).

Now for the variations...we've done the Pear and White Chocolate previously - and honestly you are only limited by your imagination - you could use this as a basis for banana muffins (simply add a couple of mushed down bananas/cinnamon to smell).

But I have made the following...

Orange and Dark Choc

To the above mixture add the zest of one orange, the juice of one orange.
Mix well, bake as above.
When cooled - melt dark choc and dip the cakes in melted chocolate.

Lime and Coconut

To the above basic mix at the zest and juice of 2 limes and 3/4 cup dessicated coconut.
Mix well, bake as above
When cooled, melt white choc and dip cakes in melted chocolate or alternatively use a sour cream frosting:

125g (1/2 cup) sour cream
45g (1/4 cup) icing sugar mixture

beat the sour cream and icing sugar until well combined.

Now for those of us with different dietary needs:

1. Diabetes - Substitute white flour for wholemeal/caster sugar for splenda (or equivalent), ignore the chocolate topping and I would suggest at a guess that you could use this as a snack exchange (basing it on a snack being between 15 and 30g of carbs)

2. For GF - Subsitute flours for GF friendly flours, if needed replace milk and butter with soy subsitutes, and omit the chocolate (unless using GF friendly chocolate such as Sweet William).

Enjoy :)