Vanilla Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tray with cupcake liners and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Add in vanilla and continue to beat together.
4. Add the dry ingredients gradually, alternating with the milk, until fully mixed together.
5. Fill up the cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Using a toothpick, check that the centre of the cupcake comes out clean.
6. Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the muffin tray. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Buttercream Icing

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter using an electric mixer. Add vanilla and mix together until light and fluffy.
2. Add in confectioners' sugar gradually, mixing on medium speed. Add milk and food colouring and continue to mix together until light and fluffy. If using liquid food colouring, you may need to add a little more sugar.
3. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth until you are ready to use the icing.

Frosting Rose Petals on the Cupcakes

1. Secure a 2D piping tip onto a piping bag and fill the bag with icing.
2. In the middle of the cupcake, pipe a small amount of icing. Without lifting your piping bag, slowly work your way around, counter-clockwise, until you reach the outer edge of the cupcake. Make sure you use a lot of pressure to get the icing out consistently.
3. Repeat these steps with the all the cupcakes.