SCRUMMY YUMMY CUPCAKEYness!

Thank goodness I am not on a diet (what’s that?) – I feel sorry for all those who are this week! It was my Birthday last Friday (the 11th) and I was given a whole host of baking goodies from my parents in law….I am looking forward to putting them to good use this week and making some cupcakes (ahem…and lots of mess) with my 4 yr old daughter & 1 yr old son.

It is such a simple past time for the children – for younger children you can bake the cupcakes in advance and just lay out lots of things, like coloured icing, smarties, chocolate buttons, sprinkles etc to decorate them with…. My kids love it.

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This is the fail safe recipe we use, kindly passed onto us from my lovely friend Claire - it is an Annabel Karmel Cupcake recipe.


Makes about 16 cakes


4oz / 100g Margarine
4oz / 100g Caster Sugar
4oz / 100g Self Raising Flour
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Cream margarine and sugar until fluffy then add eggs, flour and vanilla. Mix well and add 1 tablespoon to each paper case. Bake at 180°C/350°F for about 15 minutes.


Icing:

1oz / 25g Unsalted Butter
2oz / 50g Philadelphia Cream Cheese
4oz / 100g Icing Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla

Mix Marg and cheese, add vanilla and sieved icing sugar.

Decorate with your preferred items, we use sprinkles, buttons and smarties - you can also make more icing and colour it making it more fun for the kids.


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In celebration of National Cupcake Week I created a new theme called ‘Candyland’ – it was so much fun but seriously made my mouth water!...Must mention that the beautiful dress the little girl in the portrait is wearing was created by the very talented Natalie from http://www.sophie4sophie.com This theme is suitable for Boys and Girls of any age, what child wouldn’t love to be surrounded by so much scrummyness!!


I have been on the hunt for some Cupcake themed products and promotions running across this week – I have listed some of my favourites below. If you have anything you feel is suitable please feel free to leave details in the comments below!



Precious Parcels create beautiful handmade gifts and decorative treats - Look at this GORGEOUS Handpainted wooden cupcake with a wooden red cherry on top! I LOVE it! Best of all it is calorie free!

VIP Signature Gifts stock Bespoke Gifts for all occasions - They are offering a 10% discount off all cupcake products on their site - all you have to do is enter ‘cupcake1’ at checkout -Look at some of these gorgeous Cupcake themed products here



Milly Bee sells affordable, contemporary wall art for your little one's nursery, bedroom or playroom. See their special offer on cupcake prints & their first piece of free downloadable art – I have already downloaded it – Cute!


Have a look at Amy Lanes Blog for her scrummy offer of 15% off her divine cupcakes all this week (between September 14th and 20th) You can get yourself a box of 6 beautifully decorated cupcakes for only £8.50 or 12 for £17 (plus P+P if you want them delivered anywhere in the UK).. Visit here for more information Something else that is well worth checking out is her amazing GIANT, yes you heard me…GIANT cupcake cake!!





At Rainbow Totz you will find a fabulous collection of newborn baby clothing and funky, fun childrenswear for the kids. So how can there be something here that is Cupcake themed I hear you say?! Here it is - These adorable and completely calorie free cupcakes make fun quirky little baby gifts. They are also perfect for your baby shower parties too! - and there are socks too….



Fashion Cake creates beautiful bespoke cakes - Creating wonderful cupcakes with themes such as this beautifully elegant butterfly and floral cupcakes to racing car cupcakes






ColourartJunior presents a collection of lovingly hand painted canvas art for nurseries, bedrooms and play spaces. Commissions are welcome – have a peek at the Cupcake canvases – they are lovely!

Thelittlecakery is currently being launched and specialises in egg-free, dairy-free or wheat-free cakes. They have just launched thier (very unbranded!!) blog and late this week will ‘launch’ thier website (which has a taste of things to come) on http://www.thelittlecakery.co.uk/ - Fans can also join them at www.facebook.com/thelittlecakery where you can find pictures of the latest cake couture. For National Cupcake Week, they have two main offers in place:

- ANYONE who books their wedding cake during The National Cupcake week will receive a 10% discount off their total bill

- A box of dozen cupcakes £18 (usually £20)

Here is where I get a little carried away but I found so many beautifully scrumptious cupcake inspired products that I can’t not share them here with you!



LOOK!!!

Cupcake Keyring

So cute - Imagine this dangling from your keys looking yummy!

Cupcake Bunting

Great for any little girls party - scrummy sweetness with a touch of cute!

Happy Birthday Cupcake Candle

These look good enough to eat!

Ceramic cupcake keepsake pot
I really like this and think it would look lovely in a little girls bedroom

Cupcake Shoes
I have fallen completely in love with these shoes - I love the candyfloss cloud cupcake design

Little Yummy Necklace No.3 - Jewellery by Corrina Smith
Beautifully sweet - I think this would be a perfect little gift for a little flowergirl or young bridesmaid!

Cherry Bakewell Crochet Baby By 'Maisie Moon Designs'
What can I say - these speak for themselves!

Strawberry Teatime By 'SophieCat'
Mmmmmmmmmmm *drool*

And finally I had to share these – I came across this Alice In Wonderland inspired Cupcakes on Flickr….aren’t they just FABULOUS!

National Cupcake Week is a fantastic week-long extravaganza being organised by British Baker to celebrate this very special bakery product – visit this link for more information on the event http://bakeryinfo.co.uk/news/categoryfront.php/id/167