This recipe makes 12 cupcakes.
Ingredients

114g (1/2 cup) soft butter
250g (1-1/4 cup) sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
160g (1-1/4 cup) flour, if making chocolate cupcakes omit 1/4 flour, and use 1/4 cup cocoa powder
188mL (2/3 cup) milk
5g (1 tsp) baking powder
3g (1/2 tsp ) salt

Method

1. Line your cupcake tin with cupcake liners and preheat your oven to 180C/350F.
2. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream your butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. In a separate medium bowl, sift and whisk your flour, baking powder, and salt (if making chocolate cupcakes, sift and whisk in cocoa powder as well). Set aside.
4. In another bowl or measuring cup, mix your milk and vanilla together. Set aside.
5. Add in your eggs to your butter mixture one at a time, and beat until pale and fluffy.
6.  Add in half of your dry ingredients and stir on first speed until the flour has slightly been absorbed into the butter mixture.
7. Add all of your wet ingredients on 1st speed until just combined.
8. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix on first speed to combine, and then whip it on high speed for 10 seconds to fully incorporate. Be careful not to overmix!
9. Hand-fold the batter to ensure no butter/sugar/egg is sitting at the bottom and is fully combined.
10. Scoop into cupcake tins using a large ice cream scoop or two large spoons until the tin is about 3/4 full of batter.
11. Bake for 20 min or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
12. Decorate using Italian meringue buttercream and enjoy!