chocolate & orange "you passed!" cupcakes

Today marks a pivotal point in all parent's lives: the day their youngest child passes their driving test. My little brother S is now 6'1 and can legally drive all by himself; two points that make me feel the title of little brother is now not so applicable... So to celebrate/sugar-coat my sorrows, I made chocolate & orange 'you passed!' cupcakes-

for the cupcakes

100g flour

50g cocoa powder

1tsp baking powder

2 eggs, @ room temp

a few drops vanilla extract

150g butter, melted and allowed to cool

50g semisweet chocolate chips

for the icing

100g butter, @ room temp

280g icing sugar

juice of 1/2 an orange 

zest of 1 orange

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients first, then add the eggs ( I like to add them whilst the butter's cooling). Then add the butter and vanilla extract, mixing with a wooden spoon gently. Finally fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon into paper cases and cook for 12-18 minutes or until firm and springy to the touch. I like to stick a cocktail stick into the cake nearest the door until it comes out clean to check they're all properly cooked. 

While they're cooling, I make the icing.. Chuck in all the ingredients at once, it really doesn't matter in which order! Mix with an electric whisk (or handheld for the saints of the world...) until combined and the mixture holds its shape- add more icing sugar/butter as needed. Fill a piping bag with the icing mixture and pipe away!

I made the little toppers and printed them onto sticky labels. The background actually has a picture of vintage Fiat 500s - our shared car is the updated one, sorry S... But yay, you passed!

B x

Here goes nothing...

I have been known to say that blogging is a self indulgent activity. That unless you have something really, really interesting to say, you shouldn't post it on the internet. 

So, here's my first post on my exceptionally interesting blog.

Whether or not everybody will find it interesting is as yet undecided- but most people like cake, and most people like aesthetically pleasing objects (two topics that I like to think I'm rather good at), so the odds are in my favour. 

I'll drink to that!

B x