London, 10thJuly 2012 – This week I’m entering my blog post about school bake sales, published in March, into “Tea Time Treats”. This is a monthly blogging and baking event that is hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage and Kate from What Kate baked on alternate months. The theme for this month is Cake Stall Cakes & Bakes and is hosted by Karen over at Lavender and Lovage.
School Bake Sales: are they your Heaven or your Hell? - Bake sales are my heaven. First of all, I love the concept of selling home-baked food in order to raise money for the benefit of the children attending the school. Secondly, I love to bake for amazing “customers” like children who openly show and tell what they think of what you have baked.
I have learnt that kids buy with their eyes, so the biscuits or cakes should be very colourful or full of chocolate. I use simple cake recipes and spent time to decorate what I have baked. I fill up a large box with cakes or biscuits and during the event I enjoy watching children choose and eat them. Their excitement makes me feel happy. I always sell out.
This cupcakes mixture is prepared using a simple sponge recipe. I use olive spread which makes the sponge lighter but you could use unsalted butter instead.
The cake mix for 24 cupcakes is quite big, so I prefer to divide the ingredients in two and prepare two cake mixtures. I find it easier to beat and fold a small mix.
The topping is the most important element of these cupcakes, so the frosting needs to be fluffy and light. The decorations have been inspired by my children: I asked them to decorate their own cupcake and the result was a baroque mix of everything: lovely and cute. Thank you boys!
Recipe with step by step pictures
CUPCAKES
SERVES 24, PREP & DECOR 30 MINUTES, COOK 10 MINUTES
Ingredients:
Cake mix
- 350 g olive spread
- 350 g caster sugar
- 6 eggs
- 350 g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
frosting
- 250 g icing sugar
- 80 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 25 ml warm water
Decorations
- smarties, sugar stars, chocolate dots, glitter sugar, hundreds and thousands, glitter writing icing tubes, soft gummy sweets and mini marshmallows.
Method:
Preheat the oven to 170˚C (160 fan-assisted)
Beat the olive spread and caster sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.
Sift the flour with the baking powder, and then fold into the mixture until smooth.
Spoon the cake mixture into the paper cases and bake for 10 minutes, or until light golden. A skewer inserted in the centre will come out clean when they are ready.
Leave the cupcakes to cool in the tray for 5 minutes, then remove and place onto a wire cooling rack.
Beat the butter and icing sugar together, add the water a little at a time and beat until the frosting is smooth and light.
Spoon the butter frosting on top of the cold cupcakes and sprinkle with a mix of colourful decorations of your own choice.
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Thank you Karen!! I really appreciate your nice comment about my recipe. You had a fantastic Tea Time Treats Round Up this month over at lavander and lovage, congratulation.
Hi, I’m returning your visit via Tea Time Treats. I love your bright and cheery cakes, they remind me of ones I made for the Diamond Jubilee, crammed with sweets and very popular with kids. There’s something very satisfying about decorating cup cakes, they’re like little works of art!
Thank you Camilla for passing by and leaving a comment. I agree there is something very satisfying about decorating cupcakes. I find it very relaxing.
Haha! I know what you mean, kids are definitely the most honest customers. These sound great.
I appreciate their innocence too but I had a few embarrassing moments caused by my “honest” children…
Hi Rita,
Yay! I can now comment. I think it’s great you get your kids to help you with the design of the cupcakes – it makes it more fun
Well done for all the hard work involved in preparing for a bake sale. It really goes to a worthy cause! You sold out? Marvellous!
Were you tempted to eat any of the beauties yourself ?
Nice tip about the olive spread as opposed to butter. I’m always looking for ways to make a recipe healthier
Dear Jacqueline, my children and I were very tempted to eat the cakes: the sweet aroma of 24 cupcakes with frosting filled the kitchen. We were well behaved and delivered all the cupcakes to the cake stall and then bought them!!!!!
It has been many years since I have attended or been part of a bake sale but it holds fond memories. It is very true a child will not hold back their delight when something looks delicious.
Your cupcakes are delightful.
Velva
Thank you Velva for your kind comment, I think that it is important to remember what a child likes when you are baking/cooking for them.
These cupcakes are lovely and they must be so yummy! Children love to bake! I love that sweet little hand helping you out!
Ciao Alida, my little one loves to help me out when I’m baking, my older one prefer helping to decorate the cupcakes. The kitchen can become pretty messy!
Io sono totalmente negata con questi cupcakes.. fatto sta che non son capace e non ho pazienza nella decorazione! Questi son bellissimi. bacioni
E’ vero Claudia per la decorazione ci vuole pazienza e tempo: i cupcakes li prepare solo per i bambini. Per noi adulti faccio solo torte come te.
GREAT Rita! I can finally comment, as I LOVE these cakes, and you have decorated them so NICELY too! They are FUN to look at and a PERFECT entry for Tea Time Treats……brilliant thanks! I also LOVE school bake sales and I LOVE your photos……thanks so much for your amazing entry, Karen
Thank you Karen! I like this blog post about school bake sales so I was pleased to have the opportunity to republish it thanks to your Tea Time Treats July theme. I’m happy that you like my decoration, it was meant to be FUNNY and CRAZY!