ROSE CUPCAKES

I bought my first piping bag last week 

While I have been an avid baker for more years than I would like to mention

For some reason piping bags intimidated me

But now I feel like we are going to become best friends 

What could be better than combining two of my favourite things 

Cakes and Flowers

 

Vanilla cupcakes with Vanilla icing

All photos by Helen James 

Copyright Helen James

Food Blogging baking

The loveliest thing about having a few free days 

Is having some time to bake 

The first thing on my list was 

Imen from

I Married an Irish Farmer's

Irish Brown Bread

and I can attest that this is a perfect brown soda bread

moist and crumbly

and full of flavour

I added sunflower seeds to mine

Imen has been nominated for the

Saveur food blog awards

you can vote for her here

It would be a much deserved win in my opinion

Yesterday evening Imen tweeted about 

a baking blog that is also nominated for an award

Call me cupcake

What a beautiful blog!

Maybe you already know about it

and if so .... why didn't you tell me !

The photography is stunning

so late last night I just had to try the recipes

-as great photography is all well and good but if the recipes don't work? 

pufh! well I wouldn't like to send you there and 

not be able to back up my recommendation.

So, in the spirit of blog research and authenticity 

I fired up the stove yesterday evening

As I had an abundance of chocolate left from Easter

I decided to make the 

Perfect chocolate espresso cupcakes

(actually there is no chocolate in the cake, but there is in the frosting)

Oh goodness these were delicious

so moist 

I couldn't believe that I had made them myself

I halved the frosting recipe and still had way too much 

but they were truly delicious cupcakes 

NOTE* in call me cupcake recipes 1dl = 100 ml 

and is a volume measure

in case, like me, you had no idea what is was 

all images Helen James

Cake Sale

carrot cupcakes just out of the oven

 

Yesterday we organised a bake sale in my house with the Mums from my kids school.

So, after a busy week, I returned from Dublin on Thursday and turned my Kitchen into a Cupcake factory.

 

Magnolia bakery Vanilla Cupcakes (back) and Martha Stewart Carrot Cupcakes (front)

Then yesterday morning I dusted off the china teasets and set the table.

 

magnolia cafe vanilla cupcakes on cake stand 

Everyone brought something

 

I was too slow to snag Vanessa's Lemon cake.......... but I did manage to grab some of these yummy chocolate goodies.

 

We drank Tea and ate cake for 3 hours!

and we managed to raise €346 for Haiti...........  I cannot think of a nicer way to do so,

Oh! ......Just in case any of you were wondering what a 10 month old looks like with a mouth full of cake, here is some photographic evidence

 

For the Magnolia Bakery recipe you can go Here

For the BEST Carrot Cupcakes go Here.......I highly recommend these.... 

PS: I halve the quantity of icing/frosting in both recipes

all photographs by Helen James