Strawberry Cupcakes

honestly the best cupcakes I've made recently. They smell so good !

The recipe by Claire Ptak on the Guardian website is a winner. It's easy to make, and the fresh strawberry puree makes it unique - you can smell the fruit inside.
Double quantities made 2 1/2 dozen, so a little batter goes a long way.

Church Bake-Off : bless

 

Calvin's entry - in progress

Francis "Eagle" Lipman organised a church-wide Bake Off. Our boys were the only entries in their age group, so they won. Delightful!

For the St James Primary School Summer Fair, there was a baking competition. The entries were fantastic and so varied. Our boys made swirly cake with bright buttons. Every child was credited with participation and the winners were in 3 categories. I think it'll be an annual fixture going forward.

Victoria Sponge

Nigella's Victoria Sponge recipe is easy to make with great results. Only thing I would change was to try and make it even lighter.

Victoria Sponge

Annie & Clare came for supper on Tuesday night, and I felt inspired. I chose the Victoria Sponge recipe from Nigella's Domestic Goddess book, and went ahead and made it. The actual cake came out really nicely - well risen, golden colour and good texture. I suppose a part of me had expected it to be lighter, but there you go. I covered the cake in raspberry jam (home made by a B&B we stayed in near Tonbridge Wells). Annie sliced up the strawberries so that the assembly was a work-of-art, and we dolloped cream on top of that before adding the second layer. It was superb.