Cup cakes have become all of the rage in recent years and they are no longer the simple and plain small sponge cake that they used to be but instead have become elaborately decorated treats for adults and children alike.

In the UK cupcakes used to be known as fairy cakes and there is really not much difference between a traditional fairy cake recipe and cup cakes.

So if you are looking for a recipe for how to make cup cakes then they are really pretty simple in terms of the ingredients although the execution of the baking of cup cakes is a bit of a master art.

There are a lot of different cup cake recipes out there and the quantities of the ingredients varies between bakers – some will have equal quantities of butter, flour and sugar but others will have mixed quantities. For a simple cup cake recipe you will need:

4oz self raising flour
3oz castor sugar
2 eggs
3oz butter

To really get the best cup cakes you need to experiment with relative quantities so that you get a mix that works well for you and the flavour of cup cake that you are making.

For some cup cakes you will also add vanilla essence and for chocolate cup cakes you can substitute cocoa powder for some of the flour, etc. So use this base to work out what works best for you in making your own cup cake recipe.

You can use the all in one method which involves just basically adding all the ingredients together and mixing, or you can use the traditional method of creaming the butter and the sugar together, adding the eggs slowly and then folding in the flour. Spoon the cup cake mixture into small cake cases and cook in a medium oven (180 C)  for 12-15 minutes.

The main art of making cup cakes these days seems to be the frosting – this can be a cream cheese frosting or a butter icing – there are many recipes and you just need to google cup cake recipes or cup cake icing and you will get a wealth of choices.  Personally I cream together butter and icing sugar and add colouring as necessary (or maybe some flavouring if required).

Many people have turned their love for baking into a cup cake business in their spare time and are making some extra income at home by doing this.