Sweetness

It's all about cupcakes round here at the moment. Lots of little people have been having birthdays. The beauty of a batch of cupcakes as opposed to one big birthday cake is threefold. Firstly-I find cupcakes harder to stuff up, both in baking and decorating. Secondly-you can make different variations within one batch. Thirdly-they still look pretty the next day...
I made these ones for a friends' daughters first birthday. See that, there in the middle? My first fondant rose ever! They're much harder than they look I tell ya...

I can't take the credit for these awesome jungle ones, a friend made them for her gorgeous son.

I made these ones for Kyans' Teddy Bears Picnic, which we had to celebrate his birthday.

I've found heaps of inspiration in this wonderful book. The Crabapple Cupcake Bakery was a beautiful little shop in Melbourne, where they would serve the cupcakes on vintage china, with a cup of tea in a silver Robur teapot. Sadly, the bakery went into voluntary receivership early in 2008 (bloody recession!)

But the recipes live on in this lovely book, filled with delicious example like this; Church Picnic Carrot Cupcakes.

Coconut Marshmallow Cloud Cupcakes. even the name sounds delicious right?

Christmas Cupcakes.

And Islas' request for her 4th Birthday Cake (good grief, didn't we just have her 3rd birthday? The girl plans early for these things. What can I say? She's her mothers' daughter!)

My favourite thing about the book is that, along with all the marvellous recipes for the cakes themselves, it also has recipes for many different kinds of cupcake frosting and fillings. Coconut ice frosting anyone? Dark chocolate ganache? Rich tangy lemon curd filling?

Here is the recipe for the Marshmallow Frosting

3 egg whites

480g white sugar

3 tsp light corn syrup

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

150ml water

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

3 drops pink food colouring

In a metal bowl, combine the egg whites, sugar, corn syrup, cream of tartar and water. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water, and beat continuously until the mixture is light and fluffy and forms soft peaks, Take the bowl off the heat and add the vanilla and the food colouring. Whisk the mixture until it forms stiff peaks. Use immediately.