Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Makes 16 cupcakes

• 6 1/2 oz butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup plain yoghurt
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.

Add butter, sugar, and vanilla into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric beater until light and creamy - approximately 5 minutes at a high speed.

If you don't have any plain yoghurt, replace yoghurt with sour cream

Add eggs one at a time to butter mixture, beating each to incorporate before adding the next. Add yoghurt to the butter mixture and beat to mix.

In another bowl, sift flour, salt and baking powder together. Add chocolate chips to the flour and toss them in the flour to coat.

Tossing the chocolate chips in the flour before adding them to the cake batter will stop them from sinking to the bottom during baking.

Carefully fold the flour and chocolate chip mixture into the butter mixture. Drop spoonfuls of batter into cupcake liners.

Try to keep the sizes of the cupcakes even so that they bake evenly.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Cupcakes are excellent, just on their own, or with your favorite chocolate frosting.