Cupcake-a-licious

Yep, it's a word, I'm using it, I'm throwing it out there....cupcake-a-licious. 

Three weeks ago when I kicked off this years RSPCA Cupcake Day fundraising, I was a little taken aback when the very first order I got said 'something with dates, rum and toffee....' I mean my first thoughts were....what happened to plain old chocolate and vanilla!? But my second thoughts were off and running with all the different combinations and how to  incorporate each flavour. I decided to go with a date cupcake, topped with rum buttercream and drizzled with toffee sauce and this is how they turned out....

I used my favourite Date Loaf recipe and simply altered it by cooking it in a 12 hole muffin tin lined with cupcake cases and dropped the cooking time to about 15-20 mins. 

Once the cakes were cooled I made some buttercream using this recipe:

125g butter softened 

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

rum essence to taste

Beat the butter using an electric mixer until pale. Add the icing sugar and rum essence, beating until thick, creamy and smooth. 

Pipe or spread onto your cupcakes.

Now for the toffee sauce I combined 1/3 cup thickened cream with 1/2 - 3/4 cup brown sugar and heated it in the microwave in 30 second bursts until the sugar had dissolved.

If you are going to serve your cupcakes immediately, drizzle the sauce over while it's still hot, if you are keeping them for later or making them for someone else, place the toffee sauce in the fridge to cool and thicken for about hour before drizzling over your cupcakes.

Now life is not all cupcakes and shoes (although I strongly think it should be), but there is also pasta and cheese! Check out this spinach and ricotta agnolotti that Mum made Dad, Mr B and I for tea last week,
It was delicious and jam packed with cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, creamy fetta and sugar snap peas!

And last but not least, probably a month ago now, Mr B and I attempted to make stuffed squid tubes for dinner. We (Mr B) cleaned them, stuffed them with a mixture of egg, breadcrumbs, tomatoes, celery and spring onion and sealed the tops together with a tooth pick before cooking them in a well oiled fry pan over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes, turning frequently. They were really nice, but I think next time I would change a few things like using cooked rice instead of breadcrumbs and preparing the stuffing mixture in the fry pan before filling the squid tubes because the stuffing itself doesn't get much of a chance to cook when the squid tubes are in and out of the fry pan so quick.Definitely going to give it another go soon though!

Did I mention it's not even 9am on a Saturday morning here and I've already been in the kitchen for 2 hours baking up a storm for Mr B's lunches....ANZACS, oat and berry slice, apple muffins AND chocolate marshmallow honeycomb bites! Totally time for a nap....

Mrs B xx