Christening Cupcakes

Christening Cupcakes

The order: lemon and vanilla flavoured cupcakes with lemon and vanilla   tops + 6 vanilla flavoured baby girl faces. I decided on pink and lilac coloured butter cream and some delicate decorations on top – tiny flowers, sugar balls and little tiny feet.

They needed to be delivered at 9.30 Saturday morning so in order for them to be at their freshest I started baking them after work on Friday night. I started at about 7.30pm and powered through til 1am, so I was quite weary by the time my head hit the pillow. Weary but happy 🙂

I iced the little faces on Saturday morning, a lovely early start, which I actually don’t mind at all. There’s something quite peaceful and relaxing about being up that early when no one is around. It takes 15 mins per face which I think was slightly quicker than last time, hooray!

The cupcake recipe I use and adapt is from a brilliant book called The Primrose Bakery.

A batch and a half of their recipe made 18 cupcakes (size wise, these are larger than bun cases but smaller than muffin cases). 110g unsalted butter, softened
225g golden caster sugar
2 large eggs
150g self raising flour
125g plain flour
120ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

– Heat the oven to gas mark 4 and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.
– In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and the sugar until well smooth.
– Add the eggs one at a time, mixing into the mixture between additions.
– Sift the flours into a separate, smaller, bowl.
– Measure out the milk in a jug and then add the vanilla to this.
– Add 1/3 of the flour to the large bowl.  Beat well until combined.
– Add 1/3 of the milk and beat again.
– Add another 1/3 of the flour, then another 1/3 of the milk, then the last of the flour and then the last of the milk, beating well between additions.
– Spoon the mixture into the paper cases.  Fill about 2/3 full.
– Bake for about 25 mins until golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
– Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes.
– Then turn out to cool completely on a wire rack.
– Decorate as you choose.

I had them boxed and delivered for their trip to Galway by 9.15am.

The only thought in my head when driving back to the house was the messy kitchen that I’d left behind me. I stepped into the kitchen and had to look again. Spotless. It was absolutely spotless. Himself had it cleaned it when I was out. It’s always the little things, or in this case slightly big things. How lucky am I 😉

P.S. Happy Valentines Day everyone!