Strawberry Cupcakes!

I must be in a cupcake crazy mode!!! :) Here are more cupcakes for you!!!

My favourite colour :)

These are strawberry cupcakes, with fresh chopped strawberries and margaret river strawberry jam folded into the batter. Topped with slightly sweetened whipped cream, with a touch of pink! And fresh strawberries to finish off!

I love my cupcake carrier! It's perfect to pack cookies, cakes and especially cupcakes! That was what always put me off about bringing cupcakes to friend's houses - unless you had a box high enough not to touch the frosting, all your hardwork would disappear!

Stay tuned for more yummy goodies this weekend... :))) I'm still thinking and can't choose what to bake and cook!

Hope you are all enjoying this festive season... :))) I love it, there's something very special in the air - and we're blessed this year, it has not hit the 40 degree mark that our Western Australia's Christmases usually have!

Rainbow Cupcakes!

I must have been on a cupcake rampage for the past couple of weeks! I baked these kiddy totally colourful cupcakes last weekend for a friend's 2 and 4 year old daughters. They are SO cute... the girls I mean... :) I haven't got any photos of them with me, but these cupcakes totally match them, girly, cute, vibrant and energetic!


These were vanilla cupcakes with a white chocolate ganache (with a drop of colouring to make it this gorgeous pink!) and decorated with all things colourful! :)

The cupcakes had a nice fluffy texture, but I think the vanilla essence, together with the vanilla bean paste I used was a little over the top - then again, to each to its own!

Hope you have a great week ahead! :)

"Cool Bananas!"

I know I know, it has been months since I last blogged! I've been around, just been rather slack about blogging and uploading pictures etc! Anyway, thought I would quickly write whilst my banana cupcakes/muffins are in the oven!

I love banana muffins - and today, I was craving banana bread! The place that does it really well, surprisingly is actually McCafe! A colleague and I would sometimes get a coffee and slice of banana bread as a Thursday morning treat. Well today, we didnt coordinate it, but boy was I craving it! Then I got told Cinos does a good banana bread too! The choices and dilema!!! Conclusion, I had a piece of honey butter multigrain toast and a cup of tea.

Why? I figured I should save the treat for tomorrow, since it's Friday! Well before I got to that conclusion, I was thinking banana bread vs saving $ vs lazy to walk there vs is it really a need or a want! Too many equations ended up with me having a toast and tea at work! (well now that I made this, Im not sure I can justify buying banana bread from someone else! HMMM!!! Perhaps will have to save it for Monday then, as a treat to kick off the week! Hahaha! :))

So, what is your Friday treat? Is it a bought lunch, a piece of chocolate, a drink at lunch or some nice banana bread and a good cup of coffee? :)

The smell of warm bananas is one of the nicest fragrance - I feel like bottling it up now! :) Makes a house a home!!! :)

Enjoy these banana cupcakes - they were made for a special someone!!! :)

High Tea Cupcakes!

Everytime I read through my cupcake books, I am so inspired. There is something so sweet and cute about a cupcake. It is your mini cake - minus the guilt - well, limited guilt anyway!

Last weekend, I had some friends over for a "High Tea" and everyone brought a plate or two of very yummy goodies to share around. Gosh there was an overload of food! But exactly what a high tea should be like!!!

Our resident photographer, G, took this really nice photo of my cupcakes! He honestly makes food look SO much yummier!!! Before I go into the actual cupcakes as well, we have to look at the cupcake stand.

I first laid my eyes on such a cupcake stand at this cafe at Garden City. I even went up to the lady to ask her where she had bought it from. Some shop in Perth, but I couldnt seem to find such a stand. I figured, perhaps it was not to be. But it was always at the back of my mind.

Over the recent holidays, I went over to Melbourne and... yes... it was meant TO BE! :) I found it!!! It was sitting proudly on one of the shelves in the "Let's Cook" shop and it was the last one left. An 18 cupcake holder stand. It was mine. I did not think of how I would have to take it with me to Tasmania, drag it to Hobart and Lauceston and then drag it back to Melbourne and then to Perth. Heart over head. It was honestly one of those purchases where you sigh and smile with relief. It was a great purchase! I know I sound kinda obsessive and a bit over the top, but for those who have purchased something they have been eyeing for, for a long time, you know what I mean! *grin and wink*

Ok, so to the pretty little things on the stand... I made 2 types - a Coffee and Walnut Cupcake and the Butterfly Cupcakes (Vanilla cupcakes) with Margaret River Raspberry Jam and Piped Fresh cream with half a Fresh Strawberry on the top! These were from the Crabapple cupcake book.

I love these cupcakes! The texture was fine. And I mean fine. Not lumpy, not heavy but fine and light! Apparently there was not enough coffee flavour though (probably because I didnt make the coffee icing to go with it!) but other than that, I liked the texture :) This recipe is for keeps!

Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

(ps. There will be more High Tea entries happening soon....)

The Cupcake Craze has started.....

Yes it has started! I was determined to start this, after studying, analysing and reading and flipping my cupcake book that I received for Christmas! So many lovely cupcakes, so many yummy toppings, so which should I choose?!

Sitting on my kitchen top right now are 12 "Blueberry, Almond and Yoghurt Cupcakes" - but the title of it was "No fuss" cupcakes - which is so true. No mixer needed, just mix. I always have my doubts when recipes seem too easy - I doubt its result. It's cooling in my very cute, pastel coloured cupcake cases at the moment. I went crazy and bought so many cupcake cases - I couldnt decide which ones, so I bought them all, and since it is hard to get hold of pretty cases, I figured it was a "long term investment" :P

These cases are Robert Gordon cases that I bought from "Let's Cook" in Melbourne, the equivalent of the "House" cooking shop in Perth.

I got home at about 10.30pm and started in the kitchen, and it was in the oven by about 11pm. And I used minimal equipment - so it really is "no fuss". Original recipe asked for Raspberry but I used Blueberry instead - raspberries are often too sour!

I'm going to have a quick taste now, so I can let you know what it tastes like!!! :)


Verdict: YUM!!! Super moist and I love the delicate, subtle grainy texture of the almond meal in the mixture. Each cupcake was bursting with blueberries as well, and the yoghurt enhanced it's smooth and moist texture. I am starting to believe in these "no fuss" recipes!!!