Baking cupcakes for ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS!

Today I tried my hand at baking some salted caramel cupcakes that my mr has been eyeing up in Sainsburys... I guess something you should know about me is that I am not a cook, nor a baker sadly. These talents require multi-tasking and your full attention and in all honesty I'm far too easily distracted by my phone, the tv, a song, my cat, another half finished task in a different room... The list goes on and on! 

Back to the point for this tangent, whilst perusing the baking aisle in Sainsburys we see the cake mix boxes and I think, surely this is the answer! Takes less than half an hour and most of the tricky work and individual ingredients are already in the box!

So I happily unpack the box at home, and armed with my butter, whisk and a solitary egg I begin my cupcake war... Ahem... I mean challenge.

So part one goes pretty well, mixing the cake mix with the egg and 3 tbsn's of cold water, I even managed a decent consistency with a normal whisk and not the electric one that the box says to use! 

I may have looked a little silly mixing it all in my saucepan but I actually forgot that I don't own a mixing bowl! (This is how much I don't bake!!) 

Once the mixture is evenly spread into their little cupcake holders I popped them into the pre-heated oven for 10-15 mins. 

Out pops the cutest little plain cupcakes, nicely risen and smelling so good!
 

Now it was time to figure out how on earth I was going to measure out 120 grams of unsalted butter for the icing when I don't own kitchen scales.... Well, in truth there's no trick, I guessed and then speedily jumped on amazon to order some cheap kitchen scales to advert this crisis in future! (Incase you're wondering, I also ordered a mixing bowl and a piping bag and nozzles!)

Guessing the butter wasn't too hard, 1kg tub of butter halved, then split that half into five rough sections in my head and cut out one of those sections and added a smidge more to make it 120 grams... Lol lets hope you will all be much more prepared than myself!

I had to use my hands to soften the butter and then mash up the icing mix and butter to form a paste before whisking until it was light and fluffy! 

I used a normal knife to paste on the icing/buttercream type thing and it went pretty well. They look scrummy already! 

Then I mixed the glaze powder provided with a tsp of boiling water and mixed to get the drizzle and dripped that and the little chunks to add decoration and aid in the sugar coma! 

The end result? 

Even with nearly all the tools missing or wrong I still managed to knock up a pretty yummy set of 6 cupcakes for the cheerful price of £1.60! 

Clearly my obsession with watching The Great British Bake Off is inspiring me, I think I'm going to order some cheap-ish baking supplies and actually attempt non-packet cupcakes next! 

Happy Sunday! 

L xxx

10 happy moments in my week

After reading a short but sweet post from a blog I read now called "hobbits and hairdye" on what's made her happy this week, it got me thinking about my own happy moments - big & small.

1. The great British bake off - I'm so so late to the party on this one as I've only just started to watch this, 5 seasons in! Plus side, four seasons to gorge myself on in the name of "catching up"!

2. Hearing my little ones strong heartbeat at my latest antenatal apt at 31 weeks & finally understanding which body parts I am feeling rustle around inside me. 

3. Sainsburys choc chip cookies with loads more chips in them than any other I've tasted... Heaven in a cookie! 

4. Suits. Harvey Specters self assured office strutting and excellent hair. The all new Ross & Rachel will they/won't they!? Between Mike Ross & office beaut Rachel 💕 All of Lewis's tricks, Jessica's no nonsense attitude! It's 2014's Ally McBeal without the hallucinations! 

5. New book haul from a car-boot-sale in Ware, 4 new books for £2 :)

6. Finding this adorable onesie for Molly in river island, even though it was in the boys section I just loved it & my girl will look adorable sleeping in her palm tree nightwear :) 

 

7. Finding an old classic burgundy nail varnish in my draw & giving my toes and fingernails a complete make over before they get too chubby to look cute! It's amazing what a lick of nail varnish can do to make you feel more together! 

8. Extra long lie ins every morning, with my bear cuddled up right bedside me :) 

Maternity leave has been so very relaxing and I'm learning to enjoy the extra sleep and peace while I can. It's almost impossible not to smile and want to drift back to sleep when I wake up and this little nugget is stretching out 💕

9. Grass in our front garden!!!! It's really popped up in the last couple of days and looks so fresh and lush!

10. My mr being attentive as always, but with all the hormones I have floating around I feel extra thankful for him and his endless patience and energy. There's nothing better than a post dinner cuddle and a bit of bake off on telly to make me feel utterly relaxed :) 

Well, that's my 10 happys this last week, what are yours?

L xxx