Basic Cupcakes

At school I got a reputation for being the 'Cupcake Queen'. People seem to think it's difficult to make cupcakes - but it's not. It really comes down to finding a quick and easy vanilla cake mix and knowing how to make a simple buttercream icing. This is the standard recipie i've used for a few years now and it works really well.

225g (8oz) unsalted butter softened
225g (8oz) SRF
225g (8oz) caster sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp baking powder

Using electric beaters beat all ingredients together for at least 3 minutes until pale and airated.
Spoon into baking cases and bake for 2o minutes in a moderate oven.

Depending on the size of your muffin pans - I know that the American sizes are completely different to the ones we use - this makes about 2 dozen regular sized cupcakes.