Rainbow Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla essence
red, yellow, green and blue food colorings


Buttercream Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 1/2-3 cups icing sugar


Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree celcius. Grease 10 cups of a 12 cup cupcake /muffin tin with baking spray or line the muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Sift the plain flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl and keep it aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk and vanilla essence.
4. Add dry ingredients into this and stir until just combined.
5. Divide batter evenly into 5 small bowls and add about 1/2 tsp food coloring to each bowl to make red, orange, yellow, green and blue batters and stir well.
6. Starting with the blue batter, add 1/2 tbsp to each of the muffin cups. Repeat with all remaining colors, from green to yellow to orange to red, adding each spoonful on top of the previous color.
7. Bake it in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Remove from oven and transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting..
9. To prepare buttercream frosting, beat together butter, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Gradually add in the icing sugar until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency.
10. Pipe or spread frosting onto cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with coloured sugar or sprinkles..