I love Mum cupcakes {Recipe}

It’s Mothers Day this weekend and we’re hosting my family for lunch. That means no leisurely lie in or breakfast in bed for me. 

Instead I’ll be clearing away my daughter’s toys from the family room and making sure the kitchen benches are clear.  

This year I’m giving a gift to myself by being organised and keeping the menu simple.

The potatoes for the potato salad will already be cooked. The sticky date puddings and butterscotch sauce are already stashed away in the freezer for dessert. My brother in law is bringing along a couple of side dishes and all Mr Di-licious has to do is light the BBQ and grill the salmon steaks just before serving. 

I’ve even planned ahead my own Mother’s Day gift, wording up my daughter for some fabulous striped gumboots – she’s very excited about her ‘secret’ shopping trip with Daddy on Saturday.

With Mother’s Day in the air I thought I’d make a start on my Bookshelf Baking Challenge and make a special treat for my playgroup mums.

I found the appropriately named Mother’s Day cupcakes in Sussanah Blake’s Say it with a Cupcake.

These delicate rose-scented cupcakes are moist and di-licious. I made them as mini cupcakes and decorated them with rosewater flavoured icing and a pink fondant disc.

Needless to say all the playgroup mum’s loved them (one so much that she's ordered two dozen for next weekend for her daughter's birthday).

If you love your mum, maybe you could say it with these rose scented cupcakes too.

Recipe: I love Mum Rose Cupcakes

Recipe by Sussanah Blake, Say it with a Cupcake (2009)

(makes 12 regular or 36 mini cupcakes)

Ingredients

115g unsalted butter, at room temperature
115g caster sugar
2 eggs
115g self raising flour
3 tsp rosewater

For the icing
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp rosewater
1-2 tblsp water
Pink food colouring
Fondant decorations of choice

Method

• Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F).

• Cream softened butter in your mixer for a few minutes before adding sugar. Beat well until the mixture is pale white and fluffy and the sugar has completely dissolved.

• Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

• Sift the flour and gently fold into the mixture (the mixture will be quite stiff)

• Finally add rosewater and stir through gently until just mixed through.

• Spoon mixture into paper cases evenly.

• Bake cakes on low shelf in oven for 15-20 mins (12-15 min for minis), or until cakes are lightly golden and a skewer comes out clean. Allow cakes to sit in tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

To make the icing

• Sift icing sugar into a large bowl and stir through rosewater and 2 tsp of water

• Keep adding water bit by bit until mixture is smooth. It needs to be spoonable but not too runny.

• Add one to two drops of pink colouring to achieve a light pink colour.

To assemble the cupcakes

• Using a teaspoon, drop a small dollop of icing onto each cooled cake and spread lightly with a palette knife.

• Top with decoration of choice.

• Leave to set 3-4 hours before serving.

BAKING TIPS

• Make your icing the day before. Icing will keep in an airtight container in the pantry for at least a week. Give it a good stir before using.

• Fill your cases only half full. This batter rises a lot.

• Freeze un-iced cupcakes for up to three months. Wrap individually in cling wrap before storing in freezer safe bag or airtight container. Allow to defrost on bench or in fridge overnight.

• Rosewater is available from Middle Eastern grocers and good delis. It’s the signature flavour of these cupcakes and worth the minimal investment.