Birthday Cupcakes

It's my Baby FAN's birthday, decided to do something different this time round. Instead of ordering a really large cake, decided to make some cupcakes (using the chocolate oatmeal cupcakes recipes from my previous post) and then get the kids (basically all my nieces and nephews) to decorate. I think they enjoy decorating the cakes, although I think I should have made more as they kept asking to decorate more cakes, but I was only able to allocate them 2 each even though I made 2 batches (about 22 cakes).

After they decorated the cakes, I get them to post and take a picture so that I can frame it up and give it to them as a token or party gift to bring home. I made the frame using hard A4 paper and bought some nice wooden clips from popular, then pasted the back with magnets, wa lah...a nice fridge magnet photo. All in all, think this idea was really neat and meaningful, so proud of myself...ha ha...

Here's how the finish product looks like:

Photo frame with SMALL FAN and the cupcakes he made.

Here's the recipes for the icing that I used, the icing turns out really tasty and it can hold quite well. I was worried it will melt in our hot weather, but surprising, it was still holding well after 3 hours out in the open. I made 2 batches of the icing, one I keep it white, while the other one I tinted it with red food colouring a day before. Then I left it in the fridge and about 3 hours before the event start, I thaw it and rewhipped the cream, then put it in pipping bag ready for the kids to decorate. I also bought some decorative items from Phoon Huat for the kids to use to decorate their cakes.

Buttercream Icing
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk (I only added 1 tablespoons to make it thicker as I worried that it will be too watery for the kids to work with)
  
• 3 drops food coloring, or as needed (optional)

Directions

1. Cream room temperature butter with a hand mixer, the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, or a wooden spoon until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla extract.
2. Pour in milk and beat for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add food coloring, if using, and beat for thirty seconds until smooth or until desired color is reached.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Baby FAN's birthday is approaching, this year decided to make some cupcakes for her birthday, so have been trying out recipes. Here's one that I modified myself, it tasted quite rich and moist. Yummy, going to do this for Baby FAN's birthday.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cupcakes

Ingredients & Instructions
* 1/2 cup rolled oats
* 1/2 cup butter (115g)
* 3/4 cup boiling water
* 1/4 warm milk
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup all-purpose flour (I mix 1/2 unbleached flour with 1/2 cake flour)
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
* 75g normal eating dark chocolate


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 8x8 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, melt butter with dark chocolate. Then mix rolled oats, boiling water and warm milk. Set aside to cool.
3. Beat together the sugar, eggs and vanilla; add to cooled oat mixture and mix well.
4. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Add to wet ingredients and mix well. Pour into cupcakes cup.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool, and remove pan.

Homemade Baby Food: Baked Beans with Pork

Baked Beans with Pork

Ingredients & Directions

• 175g minced pork
• half a carrot
• 2 potatoes
• 1/4 onion
• 1 tsp oil
• 1/2 cup baked beans
• 1/2 cup water

1. Wash, peel and cut the carrot, potato and onion.
2. Heat the oil, add the pork and fy for a few minutes, until slightly brown (about 70% cook). Put aside.
3. On the same pot, add the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes, then add the baked beans and water.
4. Bring to boil, then cover and simmer until vegetables become tender.
5. Pour the mince pork back to the pot together with the tender vegetables and cook for another few minutes until pork is fully cooked. Don't cook for too long or the pork becomes very tough.
6. Puree the food to desired consistency and served. Freeze the remainder.