Cupcakes
Works in the UK and the US. This version uses US words and measures (stove, cups, °F); the UK version uses hob, grams and gas marks. · UK version of this page
Light little sponge cakes made by the creaming method, then iced – the first cake most children bake.
- Makes 12
- About 50 min
- Oven
- Best for: Grades 2–5 (ages 7–11)
- Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 100 g (about ½ cup) butter, soft – contains milk
- 100 g (about ½ cup) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs – contains eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100 g (about ¾ cup) self-rising flour – contains wheat or gluten
- 1 tbsp milk – contains milk
- 100 g (about ¾ cup) powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp water
Cup measures are approximate – weighing is more accurate. Need a different amount? Use the recipe finder to change the servings.
Equipment
- kitchen scale
- 12-cup muffin pan
- 12 paper liners
- mixing bowl
- wooden spoon or electric hand mixer
- small bowl
- sieve
- 2 teaspoons
- oven mitts
- cooling rack
Safety first
- Wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds, tie back long hair and put on a clean apron.
- Ask about allergies before anyone cooks or tastes. This recipe contains: wheat or gluten, eggs, milk.
- Wash your hands after cracking eggs.
- Do not eat raw dough or cake mixture – raw flour and raw egg can carry harmful bacteria.
- Use dry oven mitts for anything that has been in the oven or under the broiler.
Allergens: Wheat (and other grains with gluten), Eggs, Milk. Always read every label and ask about allergies before anyone cooks or tastes.
Method
- An adult turns the oven on to 350 °F (180 °C). Put the paper liners in the pan.
- Beat the soft butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy – this is creaming, and it traps air. (Younger children: Take turns to beat the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon.) (3 min)
- Crack the eggs into a small bowl, beat them, then add them a little at a time with the vanilla, beating well. Wash your hands.
- Sift in the flour and fold it in gently with a metal spoon, with the milk, so you keep the air in.
- Share the mixture between the liners using two teaspoons. Do not taste the raw mixture.
- An adult puts the pan in the oven. Bake until risen, golden and springy when pressed. (15 min)
- An adult moves the cakes onto the rack. Cool completely before icing. (20 min)
- Sieve the powdered sugar and mix with the water a few drops at a time until thick but spreadable. Spoon a little on each cake.
What this recipe teaches
Using an oven safely, Creaming (beating butter and sugar), Folding in, Assembling a dish, Presenting food. Steps marked “Adult” are always done by an adult; steps marked “Teacher-led” are done by an adult for primary-age children.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 167 |
|---|---|
| Total fat | 7.7 g |
| Saturated fat | 4.6 g |
| Sodium | 166 mg |
| Total carbohydrate | 23 g |
| Dietary fiber | 0.2 g |
| Total sugars | 16.6 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
Worked out from the raw ingredients (optional ones and pinches not counted) using USDA FoodData Central – SR Legacy (SR28, 2018). Brands vary – check labels. Figures for 2% milk (the recipe finder shows the other choices).
MyPlate food groups in this recipe: Grains; Protein Foods; Dairy. Learn about MyPlate.
Added sugars and saturated fat are best kept low – enjoy treats less often and in small amounts.
Curriculum links
- FCS 14.3: “Demonstrate ability to acquire, handle, and use foods to meet nutrition and wellness needs of individuals and families across the life span.”
- FCS 14.4: “Evaluate factors that affect food safety from production through consumption.”
Try the interactive lesson
Step by step: a quick safety check, questions graded by Classfern, timers for each cooking step, then an honest look at how it went – a teacher or parent judges the cooking, and learners rate their own work. Photos of the finished dish stay at home.
Use the code your teacher gave you – never your name. Progress is kept on this device.