Puppies cupcakes

I've recently had an urge to decorate cakes and cupcakes but am scared to do it because it "looks" hard. So, I thought i'll start easy and begin with cupcakes and got myself some books from the library and bought some neccessity from the cake store! I never knew the cake store had so many different icing, cutters, glitters, cupcake cups, and the list goes on...and if I could honestly spend more $$ than needed getting different things to make one piece for the cake!

So, here are my first cupcakes I decorated for a work mate's 30th birthday and why puppies you may ask?? It's because she has a little pup that she talks so much about and love =D I got this idea from a cupcake decorating book I borrowed.

This is my favourite with the puppy digging his head in the grass:

The final product placed in the box ready to give away:

It was fun but definately time consuming and I think I have to read up more about drying the fondant so that it doesnt go soft or perhaps use a mixture specifically for making models. Nevertheless I'm happy with my first attempt lol!

Lemon cupcakes

I had lemons in the fridge to make lemon and honey drink while I've been sick for the last few days and decided to bake lemon cupcakes! I love the smell of lemon and I've decided to not put any icing sugar on this because it smells sweet enough =D

I got this recipe from Rachel Allen's Lemon Cupcakes:

Ingredients

125g (4½ oz) butter, softened
125g (4½ oz) caster sugar
Finely grated zest ½ large lemon (keeping the zest of the remaining ½ lemon for the lemon icing)
2 eggs, beaten
150g (5oz) plain flour
¼ tsp baking powder

For the lemon butter icing (optional)

75g (3oz) butter, softened
125g (4 ½ oz) icing sugar, sifted
Finely grated zest of ½ large lemon
1-2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC Line a 12-hole cake tin with 12 paper cases.

2. Cream the butter in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer until soft. Add the sugar and grated lemon zest and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

3. Gradually add the beaten eggs, then sift in the flour and baking powder and fold into the mixture

4. Divide the mixture between the paper cases and bake in the preheated oven for 7-10 minutes, until risen and golden. When cooked, the centre of each cake should be slightly springy to the touch. Remove the cakes from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool before you ice them.

5. To make the lemon butter icing, cream the butter in a bowl with a wooden spoon or hand-held electric beater until very soft. Gradually add the icing sugar and beat into the butter, along with the lemon zest and enough lemon juice to soften the icing, to a spreadable consistency.

6. Ice the cooled cupcakes!