Put a Smile on your Dial

Halsie and her favourite smiley cupcake

Sometimes cupcakes just because are good enough...

I haven't really been around much over last month or so....been traveling a lot for work....so I came home the other day and made these Smiley Face Cupcakes for Halsie and her Mum...just for fun.  Then, the next day I went for dinner with my friends Lee Lee and Scotted Dogg, and so I made another batch and took a box full of smiles through to them....happy faces all round! :)

Cookie Monster Cupcakes

I believe that good ideas should always be given credit....and I have to give the credit for this good idea to my friend Bob...

Bob lives in Cape Town, and he visited Durbs this weekend to go to a wedding (a varsity mate of his got hitched in Port Edward), so those of us living in Durban got to see him for a quick visit.

Although Bob and I have been friends for some years now, in conversation last week, it transpired that he has never had the pleasure of tasting one of my cupcakes - I couldn't believe it!  So this weekend was a perfect opportunity to right that wrong....so I invited him to choose his favourite cupcake so that I could make it.

What did he choose you ask....(well I guess that is a bit obvious because the pic is at the top)...Cookie Monster cupcakes!  Initially I was horrified at the idea of icing heavy vanilla cupcakes...in bright blue, but I think they turned out ok actually.  In fact, I got a lot of satisfaction out of making these little guys - I think it may be because they have eyes, and so they feel a little bit like they have personalities - they feel like more like little creatures and less like baked goods.

Bob - thank you for the idea, it was a pleasure having you to visit - next time you come to Durbs please make sure you bring another great idea....coz these Cookie Monsters are definitely going to take Durban by storm...watch this space! :)

Your mother should have named you lovely

Today was my Indian's birthday, so I made him a cake to celebrate.  His favourite cake is maderia, but that seemed a bit boring for a birthday, so he got a personalised chocolate cake instead. (In truth the maderia cake that I baked had an argument with my oven, and my oven won)

The message on top was specially crafted to suit my friend - on a daily basis I hear the phrase "Your mother should have named you irritating" whenever I ask for artwork - it seemed only fair that a similar phrase appear on top of his birthday cake!

Happy Birthday Sel! 
I hope that this year you do not receive a Weber braai and that your friends buy the right watch...Heaven help them if they don't! ;)
Wishing you a great year ahead my friend.
x

Taking Bets with Boys

This is what award winning cheese cake looks like

Taking bets with boys - this is what I have learned:

1. If you threaten them with a challenge, even when they know they are going to lose, and they still always take the bet
2. When they realise that they are going to lose, they bail before it has to be proven to them in person
3. They will do almost anything for baked goods!

Last week I took two bets with a guy....after he lost the first bet (to do with beer and awards and boy stuff), he was silly enough to suggest that instead of him actually conceding defeat, we would instead have a bake off....little did he know that I was actually a chef! 

Suffice to say I won the bet by making the cheese cakes in the pic above....no surprises there seeing as though he bailed on baking anything and opted out of the bake off before it began!  What was my prize you ask....roast chicken dinner cooked for me in person by said guy....it was delicious....well worth the 45 minutes it took me to make the cheese cakes! 

Bets with boys....I will take one any day! :)