fairy cakes

My first shot at making cupcakes from scratch!

I have to say, I'm not sure I can ever go back to using a box, these cupcakes were so light, and a cinch to make, too. I used a recipe from Nigella Lawson's cookbook, "How to Be a Domestic Goddess" (I cringe to quote a title like that! haha).

I was icing them in a bit of a hurry, so some of the flowers (which I bought pre-made from Spun Sugar) ended up sinking into the icing before it was set. But overall I was very happy with the result and can't wait to make them again.

Easter fun!

I had the best time on Saturday putting together an afternoon of decorating (...and eating!) cupcakes for Easter with the women and kids at church. What I loved the most was seeing the creativity that comes from having a bunch of people all with different ideas and talents in one room. The women got their hands dirty with some spring gardens, thanks to a great link I found on Woman's Day. The kids were wishing veggies always tasted that good!

I thought the kids would quickly get bored and eat up the cupcakes in five seconds but they got right into decorating and made the most precious Easter baskets. Thanks to a post by Bakerella I got the idea to use Sour Punch straws as the handles for the baskets which worked perfectly.

pavlova cupcakes

Going to watch the Olympic opening ceremony with some American friends, I had to represent Australia with this traditional dessert. To be true, there is some debate between Kiwis and Australians as to who first invented pavlova, but there is no question that this delicious concoction is a winner. These mini versions of the dessert had to be eaten with a spoon as the custard and cream makes these a bit tricky to eat with just your hands. But boy, is it worth every bite!

(My thanks to Toni Castlehow for sharing her family recipe with me.)

root beer float cupcakes

For a Root Beer Float Night last week I decided to try out this recipe I found at Yum Sugar for root beer float cupcakes, just for fun. I used the glaze sparingly, wanting to keep the cupcakes easy to eat and without being too sticky. They were well-received and, with comments along the lines of, "these are borderline amazing," appeared to be enjoyed by all.

Wall-e cupcakes

I had such fun making these I decided to start a cupcake blog =) Cupcake anyone?