Rainbow Cupcakes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 12

Ingredients

300g plain flour

220g caster sugar

2 ¼ tsp baking powder

100g butter

180ml milk

2 eggs

125ml vegetable oil

1 ½ tsp vanilla bean paste

2 tsp pink, purple, yellow & green food colouring

90g coloured sprinkles

Icing

250g unsalted butter, softened

3 cups icing sugar, sifted

2 tbsp milk

2 tsp bubble gum flavoured essence

1 tsp pink, purple, yellow, green food colouring

½ tsp blue food colouring

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C, line 12 hole muffin pan with paper cases

Place flour, sugar, pinch salt and baking powder into an electric mixer with a paddle attachment.  Add in the soften butter and beat on low speed till it crumbles into breadcrumbs

Whisk together milk, eggs, oil and vanilla paste in a medium bowl.  Pour into the flour mixture gradually on slow speed than gradually increase it to medium speed and whisk until all ingredients have combined together well. Ensure to scrape down the sides.

Once all combined evenly divide the mixtures into 5 bowls. Colour each bowl of mixture with food colouring (each bowl a different colour).  Divide the mixtures into 5 separate piping bags.  Pipe alternative coloured mixture into cases until ¾ full

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until the skewer inserted into the centre and comes out clear out. Then remove and allow cool down on wire rack

Push an apple core remover half way through the centre of each cupcake. Disregard (or eat) the removed pieces. Fill the centre with the sprinkles to the top.

Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter in the bowl till pale. Gradually add in the icing sugar mixture and milk, beating constantly until combined.  Add in the essence for flavouring.

Divide the butter cream into 5 small bowls add in the colour into each one and mix well.  Transfer the buttercreams into 5 different piping bags.

Place cling wrap to 30 cm square wrap, pipe the buttercreams close together 20cm length ways leaving 5 cm on each side.  Roll plastic wrap up from the long side to create log.  Twist both ends to enclose, snip one end off the log. Make one more log.

Place in a piping bag into a star nozzle and circular motion upwards.