Cupcakes or Buns?

I read so much on the web and in magazines about cupcakes. We always called them buns! Is there a difference? Is it that a bun is plain and a cupcake has a fancy icing? Or is Cupcake the american name for buns?
Sometimes the simplest things are the tastiest and they dont come much simpler than these buns. I usually throw in a batch of buns when the oven is hot as they only take 20mins from start to finish. Then you can leave them plain dusted with icing sugar, or decorate them with glacé icing, buttercream or fresh cream as below.

Basic Bun recipe

• 225g self raising flour
• 225g castor sugar
• 225g soft margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs

Place all the above ingredients into a food mixer (or large bowl and use a hand mixer) and mix until smooth. If the mixture seems a little thick you can add a few drops of milk.
Line a bun tray with paper liners and place a spoonful of the mixture into each case (roughly half filling each case). There will be enough mixture to fill 2x12 hole bun trays or you can bake them one immediately after the other. Bake at 175C for about 12-15 mins until light golden and set. Then remove from the bun trays and cool on a wire cake rack.
Decorating: Once cool you can simply dust the buns with icing sugar or decorate anyway you please. As a special treat I like to make butterfly buns with fresh cream.

Butterly buns
Take a small sharp knife and cut the top off each bun, angling the knife downwards to cut a hollow. Keep the piece you have cut off. Place a small blob of raspberry jam in the hollow and then top with some whipped sweetened cream (you can pipe it if you want it to look fancy). Take the top that you cut off and cut it in half then place the two halves into the cream like butterfly wings. Dust with icing sugar to finish.

Equipment List

• Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
• Bun Tray
• Paper bun case liners
• Spatula
• Mixing Bowl