Raspberry and Rose Cupcakes

It was Mum's birthday on Sunday so I made raspberry and rose cupcakes from a free mini cookbook called The Little Book of Cupcakes and Cookies from the now defunct Notebook magazine. It's another throw-everything-in-the-bowl-and-mix recipe which means it is quick and easy.

For the cake, you will need:

125g unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 (165g) cup castor sugar
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1 1/2  (225g) cups self-raising flour
1/2 (125ml) cup milk
15 frozen raspberries

For the butter cream icing, you will need:

125g unsalted butter, softened
3/4 (135g) cup icing sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon milk
A dash of rosewater

1. Preheat oven to 180*C. Line 15 1/2 cup (80ml) muffin pans with patty cases. Combine butter, vanilla, sugar, eggs, flour and milk in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 3-4 minutes until mixture is smooth and pale in colour.

2. Spoon mixture into cases and press a frozen raspberry in the centre of each with a tip of a skewer. If you are not so dainty, press raspberry to batter with clean fingers!

3. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove from pans and cool completely on a cake rack, and resist the temptation to eat one.

4. To make the icing, beat butter in an electric mixer for 10-15 minutes until creamy and very pale in colour. Beat in half the icing sugar for 2 minutes until well mixed. Add milk with a dash of rose water (I bought mine by Pariya from David Jones) and beat for a further 2 minutes. Beat in remaining icing sugar for a further 2 minutes until fluffy and smooth.

This is easier said than done when the weather is cold as no matter how long I beat the butter was still firm. I was planning to pipe the icing but the bag burst so I spread the cupcakes with a palette knife instead.

5. Cupcakes look pretty decorate with sugar roses by Queens which can be purchased from the supermarket.

Our local baby magpie came for a special birthday visit, he/she is a lot bigger now, which is to be expected as his/her diet consist of freshly baked bread!