SNOWY CUPCAKES WITH CREAMY WHITE ICING

Makes 18

Cupcakes:

125g white margarine, softened

210g (1 cup) caster sugar

2 extra-large eggs, lightly whisked

240g (2 cups) cake flour

7.5ml (1½ tsp) baking powder

Pinch of salt

250ml (1 cup) buttermilk

5ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence

Icing:

150g white margarine, softened

260g icing sugar (2 cups), sifted

30ml (2 tbsp) milk

5ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence

To decorate:

50g desiccated coconut OR

80g white chocolate, grated

Sifted icing sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. For the cupcakes, beat the margarine and caster sugar until creamy and smooth. Add the eggs gradually, mixing for a few minutes after each addition. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and gradually add to the creamed mixture, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla essence. The batter should be of soft dropping consistency. Spoon into paper-lined muffin pans, filling each to between a half and three-quarters full, depending how big you want your cupcakes to be. Bake for 20-25 minutes until light brown. Cool on a wire rack.

For the icing, cream the margarine until soft, then beat in the icing sugar and enough milk to make a soft spreading consistency. Mix in the vanilla essence.

Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, ice them and sprinkle with desiccated coconut or grated white chocolate. Dust lightly with sifted icing sugar or edible glitter and add sugar-paste decorations if desired.