Makes 12 cupcakes

125g butter – softened

1 tsp vanilla essence

½ cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup of plain flour

2 tsps of baking powder

¼ cup cream

Cream the butter, brown sugar and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well each time. Add flour and baking powder, fold this into creamed mixture. Stir in the cream till combined. Spoon the mixture into 12 paper cupcake cases in a muffin tin. Bake cupcakes in a 180C preheated oven for 15 minutes or till a skewer comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack to cool. Ice and decorate when cool. Enjoy!

Caramel Ginger Frosting

100g Butter

200g Brown sugar

1 tsp Vanilla essence

½ cup Cream

1 tbsp Golden Syrup

2 tsp ginger powder (optional but seems to cut the sweetness)

2 cups of icing sugar

Jersey Caramels sliced up for decoration

In a saucepan add the butter, brown sugar, golden syrup and vanilla essence. Melt the butter and stir over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mix to the boil and reduce heat and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the cream and ginger and leave to cool to lukewarm. Add the icing sugar and cool mixture completely. Beat the mixture with electric beaters until light and creamy, if the frosting is too stiff add a little more cream. Pipe or smear on your cupcakes and decorate with Jersey Caramels, you can also add caramel sauce to the top but beware this is for sweet tooth’s only! hehe

I’ve decided that I might try and do Whoo Hoot Wednesday.  Focusing on the positive  sounds like a brilliant idea! I believe it was a Janine creation. I do so enjoy catching up on other peoples Whoo Hoots! hehe

I’m not sure if there are any rules to it but here goes.

* I bought these beautiful flowers on Monday and as they have opened they have become more beautiful, they really brighten my day every time I look at them.

* I planted these baskets up during the dept’s of Winter and they are coming into flower now. I love the double primulas I planted in them, will pot up some more this weekend.

* I love these pictures I took of Grace smiling. She isn’t doing it all the time yet but when she does smile it makes my heart melt! It’s worth all of the lack of sleep!

* We have been getting out for walks in the FANTASTIC weather over the past few days. We have made it into the 20’s on more than one day. YAY!

* Old fashioned Golden books, I bought some on Trademe for Grace. It takes me back to my childhood

* This recipe for Amish Chocolate chip cookies from Melissa Goodsell’s blog, it’s the best! Craig thinks they taste just like cookie time cookies.

Click here for recipe

Nothing to exciting has been happening, hence the lack of blogging. I’m just really waiting for bubs to arrive. I have been getting a few final things done  but really I feel pretty sorted. I’ve been hanging out with my sister and baby Madeline a fair bit too. It’s been great to pick up bits and pieces of info from what she’s learning. Might make my ride into motherhood a little smoother

I’m not having much luck sleeping tonight, so I’m sitting here with a Milo writing this at 5.30am. Must be my body getting ready for sleepless night. hehe

I must say I have been totally spoiled over the past week. It was my birthday on Sunday and everyone had gone all out to make it a special occasion. I feel totally blessed to have such warm and generous family and friends! It started with a crop last week with some friends and continued on into the weekend with a lovely surprise breakfast put on by my sister. She even baked me cupcakes!  Sunday dinner was with the family. I got lovely flowers, surprise jewellery from my fantastic hubby, some very creative gifts, body lotions etc, some cash to spend on a rainy day and this really cool book.

I’d say it’s an absolute must if you are nutty about cupcakes and baking like me! Cupcakes seem to be sweeping the world in so many forms at present. I have already eyed up a recipe for the next crop I’m going too. Lemon/ Passionfruit Meringue cupcakes sound too good to refuse!  Last week I whipped up some mini carrot cakes with lemon cream cheese frosting. Here’s the recipe I found.

Mini carrot cakes

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/4 cups caster sugar

3/4 cup of olive or sunflower oil

2 cups of plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups of grated carrot

1/2 cup of chopped nuts plus extra for decorating (walnuts would be good)

Frosting

150g butter, softened

150g cream cheese, softened

grated zest of one lemon

2 cups of icing sugar

1/2 tsp citric acid ( optional, I just like my icing not so sweet)

Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly grease two 12 hole muffins trays with butter. (I used cupcake papers instead of greasing tins)

With an electric beater, beat the eggs and sugar until creamy, pale and thick. Then gently beat in the oil.

In a separate bowl, sift together all of the remaining ingredients except for the carrot and nuts. Gently mix into the egg mixture until smooth. Add the carrot and nuts and gently mix until evenly combined. Fill each muffin hole to about 3/4 full. (The original recipe says it makes 18 but I got 15 cupcakes)

Bake in the oven for 20-25 mins or until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool slightly in their tins before removing.

To make the frosting beat together the butter,cream cheese and lemon until creamy. Sift over the icing sugar and citric acid and beat until completely smooth. Top each cake with a generous amount of frosting and sprinkle chopped nuts on frosting.

Well I better end here, but will post pics of the lemon/ passionfruit cupcakes when they are created. Till then take care