Cupcake Treats London - The Beginning…

 

I love cupcakes and make no bones about my love affair with these delightful fancies. I suspect you would be hard pressed to find cupcake haters out there, and if you do, they might not be keen on the sweet stuff but chances are they’ll be impressed by how pretty they look.

For as long as I can remember, no Sunday brunch with friends and family has gone by without my ritual cupcake and tea. The re-insurgence of cupcakes a couple of years ago coincided with the purchase of my new kitchen, and what better way to put the oven to good use than to get baking pronto. That said, I soon discovered that the idea was going to take longer to materialise than expected.
 

 

 I’m not going to lie; it hasn’t been plain sailing. Firstly, all manner of baking has always been under the close guidance of my mum who is usually patiently waiting in the wings to remedy potential emergencies. She lives abroad and although she’s a couple of digits away by phone if things really hit the fan, it’s just not the same as having her here with me. Secondly, trying to understand my fan oven is like learning another language from scratch, and I’m not talking about reading the manual here (which incidentally happens to be written in English).

What is it about fan ovens that don't allow you to nip away for a couple of minutes without feeling like you might return to find your food burnt to a crisp? Let's just say that my first attempt at baking cupcakes produced less than desirable results. This was my first baking experience in a while and I was disappointed. With a frustrated yelp, the shrivelled rock hard chocolate cupcakes were flung out of the kitchen window quicker than you could say..well.. cupcakes. To my local postman outside going about his business that morning, I apologise profusely for giving you concussion. Thank you for not pressing charges – I owe you one.

 

In retrospect, I couldn’t have been that upset because I found time to take a few pictures before the shock set in. I realised pretty sharpish that I couldn’t afford to rely solely on memory to whip up nice cupcakes. I was going to have put in some serious research, and finding the time was going to be tricky. I work during the week and weekends are strictly for relaxing so this was going to be tough. Anyway, I needn’t have worried because before long, I was surfing the net for recipes galore, reading cupcake blogs and every cupcake book I could get my hands on. It soon became an obsession and my parched kitchen bookshelf quickly expanded with cake and icing books. When my head couldn’t take any more information, I put on my gloves, drummed up some Dutch courage and knuckled down to some..er.. serious baking - and that’s where friends, family and colleagues enter the picture. Initially, they really tried to be uncharacteristically kind which is always a dead giveaway. I don’t do ‘pity’ so I told them not to hold back. I had barely completed my sentence when their kindness came to a screeching halt. Their comments were brutal of gargantuan proportions and it was soul destroying. Their unwavering honesty wasn’t pretty. I remember thinking "that's it just dig the knife in and twist it while you're at why don't you?" But then again, I asked for their "honest" opinion. Outside, I looked cool, calm and collected but inside my veins and arteries were singing songs of their own. I’m surprised no one saw the vein in the middle of my forehead perilously close to bursting.

 

Fast forward almost a year down the line and I'm glad to say that things are now a distant cry from those infamous chocolate cupcakes. It looks like I’m starting to get the hang of things. My faithful samplers are more appreciative of their weekly treats (although they are now blaming me for their expanding waistlines), and their feedback continue to shape my cupcakes. Surprisingly, it has become an enjoyable hobby, and who knows perhaps one day I might start a cupcake business. Stop by to share my experiences and I hope you have fun.

Cupcake Treats London x