Baking is more of an exact science though, so I figured I would enlist the help of my glamorous-domestic-goddessy-type-friend Catherine and we would start with the basics – the simple cupcake.
Baking has never been a strong point of mine.
Actually, let’s be truthful here.
It’s never even been any kind of point of mine, let alone a strong one. I have vague memories of whipping up some Gypsy Creams while being babysat by my Granny & Aunty Ann but that’s a good wee while ago now, and lets face it, licking chocolate cream from the bowl while your Granny does the hard work is not exactly baking.
The reasoning behind my list of Thirty Things is to try and encourage myself to learn about/make/do/experience a lot of things I’ve had at the back of my mind for a while, and my lack of expertise in the kitchen seems like a pretty obvious contender for self-improvement. Some of the first things to make the cut were “learn to cook” and “learn to bake cupcakes”.
“Learn to cook” is pretty broad, I grant you, but that just means forcing myself to try out recipes and prepare dinner by actually chopping things and stirring them as opposed to lifting the phone or stabbing the film of a ready meal.
Baking is more of an exact science though, so I figured I would enlist the help of my glamorous-domestic-goddessy-type-friend Catherine and we would start with the basics – the simple cupcake.
I love cupcakes. I know they’re horribly clichéd now and that every middle aged woman and her ‘bestie’ is in the Magnolia queue pretending to be Carrie Bradshaw, but there’s still something about them that pleases me. I think it’s mainly just because I like small things.
Incidentally, these are Catherine’s cupcakes. She made them for our wedding. And they were seriously delicious.
They looked pretty special too. You can see I was in good hands. And that I had a lot to live up to…
But we started well and – thanks to Catherine’s expert guidance and the glass of white wine Ross kept topping up for me – I was soon creaming and folding with the best of them.
And just a little while later, the end result…
Delia would be so proud…
We celebrated my culinary achievements with a lot more wine, a Dommy’s and a couple of rounds of Singstar. Good times!
