We have friends coming over for an afternoon play and early dinner.  This is how we roll!  Well, it is when I’m on my third lot of antibiotics for sinusitis that will not take the hint and move on!

So I got my bake on.  Because I’m so tired, I want something easy peasy lemon squeezie and it does not come any easier than traditional cupcakes from my Edmonds Cookery Book – a Kiwi classic.

The recipe is:

125 g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 cup of plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup milk

Cream the butter, vanilla and sugar until light and fluffy.  For baking virgins, cut the butter into chunks.  Soften it (don’t melt it!) by a quick 20 second blast in the microwave and beat the sugar, butter and vanilla together with a wooden spoon until it changes to a lighter colour and is fluffy.

Then add the eggs one at a time, beating well each time. The mixture will now look quite glossy.

Sift the flour and baking powder together.  If you’re going to make chocolate cupcakes, measure out your flour then remove two tablespoons worth and replace with two tablespoons of cocoa.  Best to sift the cocoa with the rest as it helps to remove the little lumps.  Sifting isn’t strictly necessary but it makes for a fluffier cupcake and I just like it!

Once this is sifted in, fold in carefully.  For baking virgins, don’t beat it.  Just gently make a folding motion with your wooden spoon until it is all the same colour and all the dry ingredients are mixed in.

Add your milk at this stage.  I often add a bit more than the recipe suggests, particularly if baking with little kids, as it is easier to put in the cases.

If you’re making flavoured cupcakes, now is the time to add food colouring and flavours.  You could add raisins, chocolate chips, lemon zest, rosewater essence – anything that takes your fancy.  I often mix in the rosewater and spoon in a little of the mixture into the cases.  Then I add pink food colouring to the remaining mixture and spoon the rest on top.

Put your paper patty cases into muffin tins, then spoon in the mixture into the patty cases. This recipe will make 12 muffin-sized cupcakes, or 24 mini cupcakes.  I often double the mixture.  They don’t seem to last any longer though?!

Pop into a preheated 180 degree oven.  They should be ready in 10-15 minutes depending on your oven.  They are ready when they spring back when lightly touched.

Transfer to a cooling rack and ice, if desired, when cold.  I like to make a classic butter icing and decorate with cachous, icing flowers, sprinkles and rose petals.

I’ve made cupcakes for Zombie birthday parties and Monster birthday parties.  I think Boyo’s favourite were the Monster Snot ones with green icing and green cupcakes!  Or maybe the Zombie Eyeball ones, decorated with a marshmallow eyeball, a drop of red food colouring for a bloodshot eye and a lolly pupil.

The Welshman has a team of IT people working today, so he took a box of chocolate cupcakes, still hot out of the oven, with him when he went into the office for a few hours.  Am I an awesome wife or what?

Of course, don’t forget this bit!