Whilst I have alot to say about cupcakes I also have quite a bit to say about Nigella Lawson, first off I'm a fan of hers for a few reasons, one of which is she ignited my interest when it comes to cupcakes & baking in general. She always inspires me & gives me creative ideas.
I have in fact done quite a bit of reading regarding her online & have found so many people lamenting her(not very creatively & not too many clever one-liner ideas+
, saying: (& I quote) her recipes (cupcakes recipes & recipes in general) are too easy(huh???), that she assumes we are unintelligent & that her manner of addressing the camera is condescending. Well if easy, charming cupcake recipes & being comfortable with yourself is a problem I say, make the world problematic! It was quite disturbing to me that women were openly attacking her for being beautiful (quite odd, I don't imagine any of these ladies would compliment her if she were ugly!! In fact I'm quite sure there would be a few nasty one-liner hate-sites in her um..dishonour)
It seems to me that even in our modern world as much as things change things still stay the same, we all would like to have enough time to bake cupcakes with our kids(in my case my gorgeous nieces, creative pink cupcakes, see MY FAVOURITE CUPCAKE under cupcake inspiration).We all want to feel that we have a place to belong. That somehow in our own small way we have made a contribution that will last. Even if its the joy we give to others that they remember & tell others about. Even if the only creativity we can muster is a cupcake, its a worthwhile idea.
Which brings me back to Nigella, what she has taught me is that there are ways to find a compromise, that you can in fact have a lot of a little in life if you are willing to plan creatively & be willing to try any idea. Also what I have learnt from watching her is that its ok to be yourself, because you just might turn out to be somebody great, just the way you are. we all have something to add to this crazy, beautiful world, even if that 'something' is as simple as cupcakes & good home cooking.
Im grateful for Nigellas easy ( creative idiot proof) cupcake recipes/ideas & her naughty smile, because when all is said & done there simply isn't enough hours in the day & if being naughty puts you over, so be it!!
What do you think of Nigella? What do you think of her love for all things cupcake?? I would love to hear your thoughts..
For more creative ideas Click Here!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
QUIRKY CUPCAKES FOR KIDS
There is so much creative & new ideas to get inspired & fun to be had planning children s parties, armed with inspiration & cupcakes. A truly magical day theme can easily & creatively take place without placing to much strain on ones budget.
Consider the following for inspiration.
SHEEP CUPCAKE:
Vanilla cupcake using mini white marshmallows to create the wool & one pink marshmallow to for the nose icing to create eyes & nostrils.
PIGGIE CUPCAKE:
Pink cupcake with pink marshmallows for ears & nose.Brown smarties for eyes.
CLOWN CUPCAKE:
Vanilla cupcake with a scoop of ice-cream with an ice-cream cone on top of ice-cream upside down(think ice-cream upside down on cupcake like a clown hat)smarties for eyes, a cherry for the nose & jelly tots for the collar around the edge of the cupcake.
BIRDS NEST CUPCAKES:
Chocolate cupcake with flake sprinkled liberally to create a 'nest' texture.Pre-made birds out of icing sugar on top, along with birds eggs made
out of candy.
BUTTERFLY CUPCAKES:
Pink cupcake. Using vanilla icing make the shape of each wing on wax paper, then freeze.Use a pink jelly-tot for the head. & a jelly worm for the body, attach wings.
(this one is truly a favourite as it takes no extra time & would make many a
little girls day).
PLACE-MAT CUPCAKE:
Vanilla cupcakes. For each child use a different colour icing along with a candle with a letter of the alphabet for each child's name( eg; Johnny- blue cupcake with the letter 'J'). Another idea is to make cupcakes for someones birthday decorated with their favourite colour & their name spelled out. Also, children could have a variety of coloured icing sugar to choose from, with different sweets & sprinkles. Making their own cupcake. Pictures of each cupcake could be taken with a message written from each child for the birthday boy/girl, its a great way to record memories.
SPIDER CUPCAKE FOR BOYS:
Chocolate cupcake. Green Astros for eyes, strings of liquorish for legs on each side.
PRINCESS/BARBIE CUPCAKES:
Pink cupcakes.Use rice paper to trace out a three-point crown. Coat with lemon juice & refrigerate till hard. Put a shiny pink sprinkle on each point using
a tiny dot of icing.Place crown on top of cupcake by pushing it into the icing(be liberal with the icing to make the crown stand).
TEDDIE CUPCAKES:
Any flavoured cupcake (depends on what colour you want your teddies to be).
Open a small biscuit (cookie), use each side as an ear. Use Brown smarties for eyes or Astros. cut a pink marshmallow for the nose & icing sugar for the mouth.
CUPCAKE FLOWERS:
Lemon & Strawberry cupcakes. Arrange a lemon cupcake in the centre & the pink cupcakes around as 'petals'. Decorate with Jelly-tots or sprinkles as you desire. The creativ decor ideas are endless, for more Click Here!
Consider the following for inspiration.
SHEEP CUPCAKE:
Vanilla cupcake using mini white marshmallows to create the wool & one pink marshmallow to for the nose icing to create eyes & nostrils.
PIGGIE CUPCAKE:
Pink cupcake with pink marshmallows for ears & nose.Brown smarties for eyes.
CLOWN CUPCAKE:
Vanilla cupcake with a scoop of ice-cream with an ice-cream cone on top of ice-cream upside down(think ice-cream upside down on cupcake like a clown hat)smarties for eyes, a cherry for the nose & jelly tots for the collar around the edge of the cupcake.
BIRDS NEST CUPCAKES:
Chocolate cupcake with flake sprinkled liberally to create a 'nest' texture.Pre-made birds out of icing sugar on top, along with birds eggs made
out of candy.
BUTTERFLY CUPCAKES:
Pink cupcake. Using vanilla icing make the shape of each wing on wax paper, then freeze.Use a pink jelly-tot for the head. & a jelly worm for the body, attach wings.
(this one is truly a favourite as it takes no extra time & would make many a
little girls day).
PLACE-MAT CUPCAKE:
Vanilla cupcakes. For each child use a different colour icing along with a candle with a letter of the alphabet for each child's name( eg; Johnny- blue cupcake with the letter 'J'). Another idea is to make cupcakes for someones birthday decorated with their favourite colour & their name spelled out. Also, children could have a variety of coloured icing sugar to choose from, with different sweets & sprinkles. Making their own cupcake. Pictures of each cupcake could be taken with a message written from each child for the birthday boy/girl, its a great way to record memories.
SPIDER CUPCAKE FOR BOYS:
Chocolate cupcake. Green Astros for eyes, strings of liquorish for legs on each side.
PRINCESS/BARBIE CUPCAKES:
Pink cupcakes.Use rice paper to trace out a three-point crown. Coat with lemon juice & refrigerate till hard. Put a shiny pink sprinkle on each point using
a tiny dot of icing.Place crown on top of cupcake by pushing it into the icing(be liberal with the icing to make the crown stand).
TEDDIE CUPCAKES:
Any flavoured cupcake (depends on what colour you want your teddies to be).
Open a small biscuit (cookie), use each side as an ear. Use Brown smarties for eyes or Astros. cut a pink marshmallow for the nose & icing sugar for the mouth.
CUPCAKE FLOWERS:
Lemon & Strawberry cupcakes. Arrange a lemon cupcake in the centre & the pink cupcakes around as 'petals'. Decorate with Jelly-tots or sprinkles as you desire. The creativ decor ideas are endless, for more Click Here!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
FUN FACTS ABOUT CUPCAKES
Fairycake is the (creative..if you can call it that.. not the smartest idea) Brit term for the American/Australian term cupcake.
( that’s right it takes a real man Brit or otherwise to eat a “Fairycake”).
There should be a support group for this sort of thing: “Hi I’m Mr. Churchill (all absurdity intended) & Im a Fairycake addict (perhaps some Village People in the background would be appropriate)..ok that’s it no more coffee(or cupcakes)for me..
Johhny Cupcakes is a wacky, creative clothing line.(I can think of a few unfair ideas & one-liners at Johnny's expense but I will restrain myself..sort of)
There’s a song called Cupcakes Taste Like Violence(that’s one way to describe a sugar high - A for creativity/ideas).
Captain Cupcake was the mascot for a baked goods company( there’s a new reason to wear undies over your clothes every day..... feel inspired, getting creative ideas?...thought not).
Cookies & Cupcakes were an arb band in the late 50s in America (something to do with My Boy Lollipop..hmm)
Camp Cupcake is the affectionate name by one time (we hope) attendee Martha Stewart.
(do you think the experience gave her creative wardrobe ideas..hee hee..nough said)
A Piece Of Cake:
A Memoir by Marie Antoinette(Just kidding couldn’t resist). Cupcake Brown is the author of the memoir about her downward spiral into drugs & prostitution(Gimme my heroin or the cupcake GETS IT!! Makes for creative/interesting 911 calls).
Ron Bennington loves cupcakes soooo much that he’s had one named after him in Chicago, at a place called Mollies. Makes you wonder if he knows he’s eating a “fairycake”.
There’s an actual fragrance called Cupcake. I’ve actually got a body lotion called Cupcake it smells like Vanilla...hmm if eating other people makes you a cannibal, what creative term do you get labeled if you have the idea to eat yourself).
There’s a song called Cupcake about gay marriage, narrating the story of a gay rights activist.(a bit of a contradiction in terms if you think about it...smart idea..creative..NOT!)
Cupcake is a derogatory, creative term for an effeminate man...shame what did the poor
cupcake do to deserve being compared to a man, any idea?...(ok just kidding..calm down.. breath)
For more creative ideas Click Here!
( that’s right it takes a real man Brit or otherwise to eat a “Fairycake”).
There should be a support group for this sort of thing: “Hi I’m Mr. Churchill (all absurdity intended) & Im a Fairycake addict (perhaps some Village People in the background would be appropriate)..ok that’s it no more coffee(or cupcakes)for me..
Johhny Cupcakes is a wacky, creative clothing line.(I can think of a few unfair ideas & one-liners at Johnny's expense but I will restrain myself..sort of)
There’s a song called Cupcakes Taste Like Violence(that’s one way to describe a sugar high - A for creativity/ideas).
Captain Cupcake was the mascot for a baked goods company( there’s a new reason to wear undies over your clothes every day..... feel inspired, getting creative ideas?...thought not).
Cookies & Cupcakes were an arb band in the late 50s in America (something to do with My Boy Lollipop..hmm)
Camp Cupcake is the affectionate name by one time (we hope) attendee Martha Stewart.
(do you think the experience gave her creative wardrobe ideas..hee hee..nough said)
A Piece Of Cake:
A Memoir by Marie Antoinette(Just kidding couldn’t resist). Cupcake Brown is the author of the memoir about her downward spiral into drugs & prostitution(Gimme my heroin or the cupcake GETS IT!! Makes for creative/interesting 911 calls).
Ron Bennington loves cupcakes soooo much that he’s had one named after him in Chicago, at a place called Mollies. Makes you wonder if he knows he’s eating a “fairycake”.
There’s an actual fragrance called Cupcake. I’ve actually got a body lotion called Cupcake it smells like Vanilla...hmm if eating other people makes you a cannibal, what creative term do you get labeled if you have the idea to eat yourself).
There’s a song called Cupcake about gay marriage, narrating the story of a gay rights activist.(a bit of a contradiction in terms if you think about it...smart idea..creative..NOT!)
Cupcake is a derogatory, creative term for an effeminate man...shame what did the poor
cupcake do to deserve being compared to a man, any idea?...(ok just kidding..calm down.. breath)
For more creative ideas Click Here!
MY FAVOURITE CUPCAKE!!
Above is my most favourite cupcake(also known as squishy nunubug, creative..i know..you got better ideas?). Gorgeous isnt she?
However as much as I would like to brag this cupcake isn't mine. Shes my brother & beautiful wife's baby (one of 3).I'm a proud auntie. I bet you just cant help but smile & get wrapped up in her contagious(albeit goofy)laughter of my little cupcake. This fantastic moment got me to thinking why do we love cupcakes so much?. Its not just that they're delectable, sugary, delicious & addictive(& they are..), but more often than not cupcakes are part of all the beautiful moments in life creative occaions, birthdays, a treat for a job well done(er..or in some cases seemingly done..what they don't know cant hurt..kidding)lazy Sundays sitting around chatting with family friends discussing ideas about the future, cosy & warm. Of course munching on midnight snacks. Most importantly cupcakes represents being loved by others & the creative life we sometimes wished we could have or the type of role in life we we would like to fulfill, or at least it does to me. to be honest with the fast paced life we lead good old fashioned family time seems to have faded. So perhaps its time to make some new cupcake memories.
Heres some creative ideas, for example you could:
1 : Bake pink strawberry cupcakes & your children, neighbours children, neices & have a princess/barbie party with pink dresses & a tea party theme.
2: You do a grown-up, creative version of the above complete with marula cupcakes(see vanilla cupcake recipe below & add 15ml marula) cucumber/salmon sandwiches along with some good music. Theres so many creative ideas that would apply.
3: You could pack a lovely picnic basket along with some lemon cupcakes(summer sunshine type of idea)
& have a creative outing with your family/friends.
4: Consider making a cupcake birthday cake like a tower on a stand.
5: You could have a cupcake party, invite guests(great for kids or a family board games night). Each person gets to make & decorate their own creative cupcake/s with vanilla cupcakes made & ready along with different flavoured icing sugar & sprinkles.This idea really works.
I really hope the above inspires you to be more creative & fun with plenty of ideas with something as simple as a cupcake.
For more creative inspiration & ideas Click Here!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
QUICK CuPcAkE ReCiPeS
Quick Cupcake Recipes
Cupcake recipes are so quick & easy to make if you know how! Heres one of my favourite creative recipes with endless ideas to create themes & flavours. Its to the point & cuts the err..cupcake when it comes to making cupcakes..read on:
Ingredients
• 2 1/4 cups all self raising flour
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large eggs
Easy Cupcake Recipe Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (160c). Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add shortening, milk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape side of bowl with a spatula.
Add eggs to the mixture. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape bowl again. Beat on high speed for 1 minute 30 seconds until well mixed.
Spoon cupcake batter into paper liners until 1/2 to 2/3 full.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool 5 minutes in pans then remove and place on wire racks to cool completely.
TA DA!!!! (that’s a technical term)
For more detailed creative info Click Here!
Then you can read my previous post on decorating cupcakes & get more creative ideas go mad & fab (going a bit drag my apologies all the pink on my blog went to my head..hee hee…no more coffee for me..help…)
to really get cracking & creative Click Here!
Cupcake recipes are so quick & easy to make if you know how! Heres one of my favourite creative recipes with endless ideas to create themes & flavours. Its to the point & cuts the err..cupcake when it comes to making cupcakes..read on:
Ingredients
• 2 1/4 cups all self raising flour
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large eggs
Easy Cupcake Recipe Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (160c). Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add shortening, milk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape side of bowl with a spatula.
Add eggs to the mixture. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape bowl again. Beat on high speed for 1 minute 30 seconds until well mixed.
Spoon cupcake batter into paper liners until 1/2 to 2/3 full.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool 5 minutes in pans then remove and place on wire racks to cool completely.
TA DA!!!! (that’s a technical term)
For more detailed creative info Click Here!
Then you can read my previous post on decorating cupcakes & get more creative ideas go mad & fab (going a bit drag my apologies all the pink on my blog went to my head..hee hee…no more coffee for me..help…)
to really get cracking & creative Click Here!
INSPIRING IDEAS FOR CUPCAKES
Cupcakes are have become the new ‘it’ creative cake because they are , more economical than traditional wedding cakes and usually easier to decorate as well offer more options & ideas, but sometimes decoration might be time consuming.So to help do away with the lengthy process heres some suggestions:
How about making each cupcake in a special shape? Such as: a flower, star or hearts?
There are specialty shaped pans to achieve that look.
Icing sugar pre-made flowers and fruits are always beautiful as decorations on cupcakes. The creativity & ideas are endless.
Use flowers (roses) for weddings and creative colour to go with the theme & décor works well too.
Try using different colors & ideas and you will get gorgeous one of a kind cupcake wedding cakes. For more elegant designs use the liners in different colors including gold or silver ones!
Once, I made cupcakes with spongebob faces . You guessed it! People like funny things, especially if they are sweet & cute. Gave everyone a smile on their dial. Its creative & fun.
How about Christmas bells & berries on cupcakes for a Christmas wedding.
Another you might want to consider is using using jewelry pre-made (of course).
The possibilities/ideas are endless as you may see, pre-made icing decorations provide so many easy creative options.
The other day I was watching a show on cake décor. The chef was so impressive(his decorating abilities I mean.. with all these celebrity chefs around its hard to tell which..yummy..err cake I mean).He used very dark choclate icing to make elegarnt twirls ontop of vanilla cupcakes with a dusting of gold…gorgeous(again the cake I mean…hmm)……anyway that’s enough from me. Hope I gave you some fresh cupcake inspiration!! He ws very creative, with innovative ideas.
For mor ideas & inspiration Click Here!
How about making each cupcake in a special shape? Such as: a flower, star or hearts?
There are specialty shaped pans to achieve that look.
Icing sugar pre-made flowers and fruits are always beautiful as decorations on cupcakes. The creativity & ideas are endless.
Use flowers (roses) for weddings and creative colour to go with the theme & décor works well too.
Try using different colors & ideas and you will get gorgeous one of a kind cupcake wedding cakes. For more elegant designs use the liners in different colors including gold or silver ones!
Once, I made cupcakes with spongebob faces . You guessed it! People like funny things, especially if they are sweet & cute. Gave everyone a smile on their dial. Its creative & fun.
How about Christmas bells & berries on cupcakes for a Christmas wedding.
Another you might want to consider is using using jewelry pre-made (of course).
The possibilities/ideas are endless as you may see, pre-made icing decorations provide so many easy creative options.
The other day I was watching a show on cake décor. The chef was so impressive(his decorating abilities I mean.. with all these celebrity chefs around its hard to tell which..yummy..err cake I mean).He used very dark choclate icing to make elegarnt twirls ontop of vanilla cupcakes with a dusting of gold…gorgeous(again the cake I mean…hmm)……anyway that’s enough from me. Hope I gave you some fresh cupcake inspiration!! He ws very creative, with innovative ideas.
For mor ideas & inspiration Click Here!
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