No children’s birthday party could be complete without the obligatory line up of cupcakes. In fact, for an entertainment factor, you could bake the cupcakes and then set up an icing station and decorating station so that each child gets to ice and decorate their own cupcake. I have seen this idea work very successfully at the Good Food and Wine Show and the Nicoletta stand was full of children, and very grateful looking parents. When the boys were younger I developed a recipe for caramel cupcakes as this was Mark’s favourite flavour and his request. Since then I have used this cupcake recipe with great success, but just a plain vanilla flavour. For Nicola’s second birthday party I made a batch of pretty purple iced cupcakes to go with her Barbie birthday cake:
This photograph and the recipe to follow have been published in Lavender and Lime. In February of this year I received the most beautiful gift of a three tiered stand. It is perfect for the middle of the table, and I am sure to use it on many occasions. I decided that the first time it would appear on my table would be for something special, and so I chose the Eat For The Earth Lunch to showcase it. As the gift giver had also gifted me some cupcake holders, I knew that cupcakes were in order – and what a lovely dessert it turned out to be. It was the first time ever I had tried the sugar free version and I was very impressed with the lightness of the cupcakes. They stayed moist for the few days that they lasted after being baked which was also great. For Nicola’s cupcakes I used a butter icing which is easy to pipe. For mine, I made an icing out of cream, honey and some Honest Chocolate Spread. I could have piped it, but my piping bag is in the freezer with the left over boudin blanc and I had forgotten to get some disposable ones!
Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 500 mls flour
- 15 mls baking powder
- a pinch of salt
- 4 eggs
- 375 mls fructose
- 100 g butter
- 190 mls water
Method
- preheat the oven to 180° Celsius
- sieve together the flour, baking powder and salt
- in a large bowl beat the eggs with an electric mixer
- add the fructose gradually until the mixture becomes white and creamy and more than doubled in volume
- in a small saucepan heat the butter and the water until just about to boil
- remove from the heat and fold into the egg mixture alternating with the flour mix
- pour the mixture into cupcake cases and bake for 15 minutes
Click on the links for conversions and notes.
I am submitting this recipe to the food24 competition
How uncanny, I have just sent Nicole from Nicoletta an email! I used that piping set I showed you for the first time yesterday, I need quite a bit of practice before my piping looks like yours.
It takes some patience – that was my second attempt ever at piping! Nicole has the most amazing people working for her and when I met her the first time I knew she would have a great business, as she comes across with so much passion 🙂
Lovely cakes and stand, I bought myself a new silicone piping bag which I am keen to try out.
have fun with it – I have a huge shopping list for next year on mud island 🙂
No need to convince me about a cupcake! Your stand is very pretty.
🙂 Mandy
thanks, it is from Cindy! And I hope you enter the competition as well!
Tandy, I’m not a cupcake fan, but your purple iced ones are a work of art! 🙂
thank you so much Celia! This was my second ever icing attempt 🙂
These are gorgeous! I’d be proud to serve them to my guests. I don’t have a good handle on using a pastry bag and nozzle, so I doubt I’d be able to duplicate them as beautifully. You really do nice work. I hope you have a great day.Blessings…Mary
thanks so much Mary! Maybe I should do a step by step blog on how I do piping? Have a lovely Thursday 🙂
Everyone needs a foolproof recipe for cupcakes! I seem to recall you challenging us to do macaroons ages ago and posting a recipe. I think I might attempt them today! Hope you having the wet weather!
let me know if you get them right! We bought a puppy home so are snug indoors! Any news??
didn’t make the cut, which is really disappointing, but on to bigger and better things!
that is not good news! Wonder who got the job?