Ready, steady, bake

Having had a hard few weeks, it was really lovely yesterday to spend a few hours with my wonderful sister in the kitchen baking. We may not be the typical best friend sisters but our bond is silently invincible. We aren't big fans of the sitting down talking feelings and we both have very different lives- hers unhindered mine, very much hindered yet we do both share the love for cooking.

So, the 2 of us spent yesterday afternoon baking cupcakes and decorating them. Mum said it was like having children in the house again- we are 25 and 27 but if it brings laughter and love then we don't care.

Recipe:

187.5g butter

187.5g self-raising flour

187.5g Caster sugar

3 eggs

1.5 tsps vanilla essence

3 tbsp milk

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 180c- if you don;'t have a fan oven then 190c is probably better.

Cream the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon in a large bowl until pale and fluffy.

Beat the eggs and add slowly to the creamed mix until all combined, then add the vanilla.

Sift half the flour into the mix and fold together.

Then add the milk and the remaining flour and mix gently but thoroughly.

Spoon the mix into paper cases and bake for around 15-17 minutes.

This mix makes 21 cakes.

To Decorate;

the cakes in the centre (only 4 shown here) are decorated with buttercream. to make you need,

150g softened butter

250g Icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2tsp hot water

Any colouring you like or none if you prefer.

Simply beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer, add the vanilla and the water until smooth and creamy and we find it's best when you can create nice peaks that stand alone in the bowl.

Top with edible sugar decorations.

The other cakes here are iced with, what can only be described as a very 'unique' blend of icing sugars and royal icing and water that i coloured pink and yellow (my sister's favourite colours).

Basically just mix up the icing sugar with warm, not hot, water until you get the consistency you desire- i wanted quite a thick topping so the cakes were well covered and once cold the icing would be set hard.

Unleash your inner child and decorate!

So thank you to my sister, i had a lovely time, and now the baking bug has hit my Dad and I are going to make an apple cake this afternoon.

xxx