Vanilla Cupcakes

Vanilla cupcakes are one of the very few things that I feel comfortable making. No need for the recipe, because I've made it so many times, it is stuck in my head! I like that my cupcakes are most of the time, successful. There are so many recipes out there that could fail very easily but these seem to taste good even if they go a little bit wrong. I was going to take step by step photos for you, but then I ended up not having much time to bake them. So you just have the finished product. 

Ingredients
8oz Butter
8oz Caster Sugar
4 Eggs
8oz Self Raising Flour
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
Milk

Method
1. Soften (but don't melt, less than 30 seconds in the microwave) the butter and mix with sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs and beat them in until just mixed.
3. Sift in the flour and mix well, but don't over beat. It should just be mixed well together and not further than that.
4. Add vanilla and mix a little.
5. If the texture is a bit thick, add dashes of milk until it is a little thinner. You should aim for a ribbon dropping consistency, maybe a little thicker than that actually.
6. Place spoonfuls in baking cases and bake for 8-12 mins in a 180'C oven.
7. Allow to cool before icing with buttercream.

Ingredients
1 block Butter
4 cups Icing Sugar
1/4 cup Milk
Vanilla Essence

Method
1. Soften butter by mixing to a nice smooth consistency.
2. Add icing sugar and milk and mix until all the ingredients are combined.
3. Add vanilla to taste, usually 1 tsp and a little bit does it.
4. You don't want it too thick because it has to go through the piping nozzle. If it's too thick, add some more milk. If it's too thin, add some more icing sugar.
5. Place a nozzle at the end of a piping bag and pipe onto cakes in a circular motion.
6. Decorate with sprinkles and then enjoy!