Yesterday I turned 39! Yikes...in my head it just can't be so but my Mum assures me that I am indeed knocking on 40's door! I was treated to a lovely breakfast cooked for me by My Love..a lovely Red Cabbage Scramble.
I really didn't have time to worry about turning 39 before my family turned up to help me celebrate. I was sat in my work room when the front door burst open and my nephews M and J came running through the house trying to find me whilst shouting Happy Birthday Auntie R...and then they found me in my workroom and threw bunches of daffodils at me and gave me great big hugs and kisses..then seconds later my niece caught them up...shouting Happy Birthday at me whilst throwing another bunch of daffodils at me and giving me a quick hug and kiss before she ran off to find the boys to make sure she wasn't missing out on anything! lol. My sister then came in carrying my niece L who was looking very adorable in her matching pink hat and sweater! But sound asleep so I had to wait for birthday hugs there. But others kept me very busy in the mean time.
They helped me make my birthday cupcakes which I have named Strawberry 39ers...trust me...My Love and I gave this some deep thought...and yes that was the best we came up with..we liked it straight away. lol.
So sat around my dining table I cut the vanilla cupcakes into little cup shapes, leaving the cut outs on a plate for the kiddies and adults to snack on, J very precisely took 1/2 tsp measures of Strawberry Jam and smoothed it around the cups whilst M sat with a safety knife and cut the strawberries in half. This of course was hard work for the little ones as they were practically drooling over the strawberries. lol. The next part of the assembly was madness as J smeared the whipped cream into the cups and M followed behind him with the strawberries with N running around the table, jumping up and shouting "..Strawberries!!!.." and trying to grab a strawberry...which she did manage once and there was uproar from the boys so more strawberries had to be brought through, cut up and placed...on the cupcakes and in their mouths lol. The results were beautiful and having them help me with them made them even more special. Thank you M and J for your wonderful help and N for just making us laugh so much!
After they were finished I returned the favour by helping them make their Chocolate Easter Birds Nest Cakes...which translates that I got covered in chocolate and shreddies and had a blast! It was a pure pleasure....
 | ||
| Auntie R's and M, J & N's Strawberry 39ers Birthday Cupcakes! |
(Cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World/Moskowitz & Romero)
(Assembly and creative ideas from the Rocket and Roses Vegan Kitchen...and little ones)
Cupcakes
1 cup of soya milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup sunflower oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
In a small bowl stir together the milk and the vinegar and leave for a few minutes to curdle.
In a large mixing bowl pour in the curdled milk, oil, vanilla extract and the sugars. Whisk until well combined and bubbly.
Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, soda and salt. Then stir until there are no large lumps left but do not over stir.
Fill a muffin tin with cupcake liners or using cake release, grease the muffin pan and fill each one two thirds full with cupcake batter. Then bake in a pre-heated oven at 350'F/180'C/Gas Mark 4 for 20 minutes. Then put onto a cooling rack and lift out after a few minutes. Leave to cool completely before topping.
I usually make mine the day before I need them as they have set beautifully by then. This mix usually makes between 10-12 cupcakes. But as I'm usually catering for at least 25 people I have to make many batches!! lol
Toppings
1/2 cup reduced sugar strawberry jam
1 carton of Soya Whipping Cream
1 punnet of fresh Strawberries (or two if you have little ones helping! lol)
Taking a completely cooled cupcake carefully cut out the top of the cupcake, leaving a cup shape. Whip the cream until it's good and thick.
Using a 1/2 tsp measure spoon in the strawberry jam and smooth around the cavity of the cupcake. Then spoon a 'dollop' of whipped cream on top.
Hull and halve the strawberries and then place one on top of the cream on each cupcake.
Enjoy!
