Signature recipe

Triple-colour vanilla cupcakes

One tender vanilla base, three naturally coloured buttercreams. This is the batch we make every weekend.

Cupcake batter bowl, piping bags and muffin tin
Total time
35 min
Makes
12 cupcakes
Oven
190°C / 375°F

Batter

  • 180 g plain flour
  • 200 g caster sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp fine salt
  • 115 g unsalted butter, soft
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 120 ml whole milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Buttercream

  • 225 g unsalted butter, soft
  • 450 g icing sugar, sifted
  • 2–3 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp matcha powder (green)
  • 1 tbsp freeze-dried blueberry powder (purple)
  • 1 tsp beetroot powder (pink)
Green buttercream swirlPurple buttercream swirlPink buttercream swirl

Method

  1. 1

    Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F and line a 12-hole tin with paper cases.

  2. 2

    Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

  3. 3

    Beat in the soft butter until the mix looks like damp sand, about 1 minute.

  4. 4

    Add eggs one at a time, then the milk and vanilla. Mix just until smooth — overmixing makes them tough.

  5. 5

    Fill cases two-thirds full. Bake 18–20 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.

  6. 6

    Cool in the tin 5 minutes, then on a rack completely. Warm cupcakes melt frosting.

  7. 7

    Beat butter 3 minutes until pale, add icing sugar in three additions, loosen with milk.

  8. 8

    Split the buttercream into three bowls and colour one green, one purple, one pink.

  9. 9

    Pipe tall swirls with a 1M star tip and finish with sprinkles.