Fondant ducky, you're the one...

These are my "never-fail" cupcakes.  The recipe is quick, simple and, like I said, never fails!  It's a simple, bung everything in the bowl, and whisk recipe, yielding 12 deliciously moist, deliciously fluffy, deliciously vanilla-ry cupcakes!

Ingredients for the buns:

125 gram(s) butter (soft)

125 gram(s) caster sugar

2 medium egg(s)

125 gram(s) Plain flour

½ teaspoon(s) bicarbonate of soda

2 teaspoon(s) baking powder

2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

3 tablespoon(s) milk

- See more at: http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/love-buns-2922#sthash.43e7gknp.dpuf

 125g butter
125g sugar
2 medium eggs
125g plain flour
1/2 tspn bicarbonate of soda
2 tspn baking powder
3 tbspn milk
3 tspn vanilla extract

So, as I said, put all the ingredients in one bowl and whisk until incorporated.  Then, add the milk. You want the batter to be of a dropping consistency.  Then spoon into a muffin tin lined with cake cases and pop in the oven at 200 degrees for around 15-20 minutes.

Whilst the cupcakes are cooling you can make your frosting. 
Ingredients for buttercream:
Paste food colouring of your choice
140g softened butter
280g icing sugar
2 tspn vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk

Begin by whisking the butter, you want to do this for about 5 minutes, until the butter is lighter in colour and fluffy in texture.  Once the butter is whisked, add the icing sugar in two parts.  After the first half, add the vanilla and milk and continue whisking until the vanilla and milk is incorporated.  Then, add the second half of your icing sugar. Continue whisking for another five minutes.  Add your food colouring. You can then pipe, swirl, or spread your buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes in whatever way you choose.

I then topped my cupcakes with a fondant duck, rendering the cupcake fit for a baby shower or a baby's first birthday! They were surprisingly easy to model.  I got so into making them, I forgot to take pictures, faux pas!! To make the body of the duck, take a piece of fondant and roll into a ball the size of a marble.  Roll the ball into a cone shape and lift the pointy end upwards.  Cut out two fondant-shaped hearts and stick onto body of the cone using water.  These are your wings.  Paint on two eyes, with food colouring, using a skewer.  Make a teeny tiny cone from fondant and stick onto the head of the duck for a beak.  Put the whole thing into the freezer for ten minutes and then stick on top of your cupcake.

In the past, I preferred to steer clear of fondant, thinking it was too technical, however, I have become rather fond of using it to model shapes and animals to make toppers for cakes and cupcakes! Don't be afraid, you'll be surprised what you can achieve with a little bit of fondant...  

125 gram(s) butter (soft)

125 gram(s) caster sugar

2 medium egg(s)

125 gram(s) Plain flour

½ teaspoon(s) bicarbonate of soda

2 teaspoon(s) baking powder

2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

3 tablespoon(s) milk

- See more at: http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/love-buns-2922#sthash.43e7gknp.dpuf

125 gram(s) butter (soft)

125 gram(s) caster sugar

2 medium egg(s)

125 gram(s) Plain flour

½ teaspoon(s) bicarbonate of soda

2 teaspoon(s) baking powder

2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

3 tablespoon(s) milk

- See more at: http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/love-buns-2922#sthash.43e7gknp.dpuf