National Cupcake Week!

SO EXCITED!

If only I had known about NCCW 2 days ago I would have much more to share. Ever feel like you are the last to know about something?

I was dithering around deciding what cupcakes to make, checking what ingredients I had, opening the fridge, checking the cupboards, pulling everything out, putting it all away again, scouring recipe books, applications and the internet. Eventually I gave in and went with the old 6,6,6,3 tried and tested.

For those of you who weren't taught to bake by a haphazard mother who goes on texture, desired thickness and eye more than actual measurements; 6,6,6,3 is your simple, stand by cake recipe to stop it all going wrong.

Equal Measures in Ounces (oz) of Butter, Self Raising Flour and Caster Sugar. Then half the generic oz measurement used for each ingredient above to give you the amount of eggs needed to bind.

In my case 6oz Butter, 6oz SR Flour, 6oz Caster Sugar and 3 Eggs.

I once made this cake mix in a blender. As long as you fold the last 1/4 of the flour (sieved) gently into the batter mix at the end it rises perfectly.

I made chocolate cupcakes...by chucking out a small amount of flour and replacing it with cocoa powder... Baking by eye again, that old chestnut. It was probably about a table spoon each way. I LOVE chocolate cakes so I don't scrimp.

Then the usual faff - oven temperature 180C or gas mark 4, about 20 minutes.

Then some icing -

1 cup of double cream, whipped. Add 1 cup of icing sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence. Dollop on said cupcakes, add grated chocolate and the last of the summer strawberries.

Last note. The pretty coloured cases are silicone, and somehow the cakes stay fresher longer when baked in these...Hopefully I will have one last installment before NCCW and summer are officially over! Autumn begins on 23rd September. Excited!