LOLA’s is very proud to support Great Ormond Street Hospital for children in london. This cupcake was created by four-year-old Jessica, a former patient. It has been one of our best-sellers and supported the hospital’s ‘Kiss It Better’ campaign.
muffin pan lined with 12 muffin cases or mini-cupcake pan lined with 24 mini-cupcake cases
Makes 12 regular or 24 tiny
Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/ Gas 4.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
Put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until pale and fluffy. Stop occasionally to scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Using a small, sharp knife, slit the vanilla pod/bean down its length and scrape the seeds out into the mixing bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Slowly add the sifted dry ingredients and chocolate chips and beat on low speed until combined.
Divide the mixture between the muffin cases. Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes for regular cupcakes, or a little less for tiny cupcakes. They should well risen and a skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
While the cupcakes are cooling down, make the rainbow buttercream.
Put the butter in a bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until very soft and smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Sift the sugar into the bowl in 4 batches, beating until incorporated and the frosting is smooth. Add the milk and beat again.
If you want to make the buttercream rainbow-coloured, divide it between 3 bowls and tint each a different colour using the food colourings. Using a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle/ tip spoon a portion of each colour of buttercream into the bag, layering it until you have used up all the buttercream. Slowly start to squeeze the bag onto a plate until the rainbow effect begins.
Pipe the rainbow buttercream onto the cold cupcakes. Alternatively, spread undyed buttercream onto the cold cupcakes with a spatula. Cover the cupcakes with multi-coloured candies and finish with a flaked chocolate. Either way, dust with edible glitter.