recipe: classic vanilla cupcakes

Vanilla cupcakes are the "Little Black Dress" of sweet treats at a birthday celebration. If you use a good recipe, you simply can't go wrong. I mean who can say no to a fluffy cake cloud covered in creamy goodness?

I baked these for my friend Megan's birthday earlier on this week. The reason I've decided to post the recipe is because this particular one (that my Mom passed down to me) is probably the quickest, most foolproof cupcake recipe of them all. Put it this way - I made these an hour before I came to work. But as they say, seeing is believing. So try it out for yourself!

Ingredients:

125g self-raising flour

125g softened butter or margarine (I used Stork)

125g castor sugar

2 eggs

1t vanilla extract

3T milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180C. 

2. Mix together all ingredients - the resulting batter should drop lightly off a spoon. 

3. Divide into 12 paper cupcake / muffin cases and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

To make a basic buttercream icing, simply cream together 100g softened butter with 200g sifted icing sugar. Add the mixture to a piping bag and swirl buttercream onto cupcakes. Decorate accordingly.

2 days...

I've been observing the mulberries (and flowers) growing in our garden - always a sign that Spring is imminent. Only 2 days until we enter the new season! September also marks a year since I moved from Joburg to back to my hometown of Durban... Wow. How time flies!

Flora photos are from my garden. So if you have silkworms, you know who to call.

eek.

SOZ. I shall resume the blog next week. I can promise you some baked goods are on their way! :) 

recipe: cinnamon streusel mini cakes

Was getting some intense cravings for something cinnamon-y yesterday. And so I baked these...

The texture was spot on - the streusel topping gave the cakes a slight crunchiness on the outside, whilst the inside remained light and fluffy. I didn't have sour cream at home, so I just used normal whipping cream with a dash of freshly squeezed lemon juice. (Good to know!)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla essence
1 1/4 cups sour cream
For the streusel topping:

2 1/4 cups cake flour
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled

For the milk glaze:

1 1/2 cups icing sugar
3 tbsp milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins.
2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Stir in vanilla by hand.
4. Add flour mixture and sour cream, stir until just combined. Divide batter evenly among lined cups.

For the streusel: 

1. Whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers, until combined but still crumbly.

2. Sprinkle half of the streusel over the muffins, pressing it into the muffins. Sprinkle the other half evenly over the muffins.
3. Bake for 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean, rotating pans half way through.

4. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing muffins. Once cooled, prepare milk glaze by whisking together sugar and milk.
5. Remove muffins from tin and place on a wire rack set over a cookie sheet and drizzle evenly with milk glaze.

"pieces" by jockum nordström

HOW cool is this etching by Jockum Nordström? He uses an unusual printing technique called spit biting and soft ground etching to achieve a watercolour effect in his work. Genius!

totes amaze.

I can't seem to take my eyes off Mary Kate McDevitt's canvas bag. Inspired by vintage fruit crate labels, the design is as fresh as the produce you would put inside it! I love the pop of zesty tangerine (which happens to be Pantone's colour of the year for 2012) as well as the delicately illustrated type. This girl speaks my language. See more of McDevitt's work here.