Cupcakes

My favourite Cupcake recipe:

Vanilla Cupcake

• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ cup (185mL) milk

Icing

• 50g unsalted butter
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese
  
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice
• Food colouring
  

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Place muffin papers in one 12-hole muffin tray or cupcake papers in two 12-hole cupcake trays. In an electric mixer, beat butter for 2 minutes until pale in colour and creamy. Add sugar one third at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for about a minute between each addition. Add the vanilla essence and beat until combined.

Sift flour and baking powder and add half to butter mixture with half the milk, mix until well combined. Repeat with remaining flour and milk.

Fill cupcake papers ¾ full (an icecream scoop is perfect for this). Bake muffin size cupcakes for 20-25 minutes and small cupcakes for about 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer to wire racks and allow to cool completely.

Icing
Cream butter until pale and smooth. Add the cream cheese, lemon juice and half the sifted icing sugar. Beat until well combined. Add the remaining icing sugar and beat until mixture is light and fluffy. The mixture should be a spreadable paste; if it is too dry add some more milk, if too wet add more icing sugar.

When cakes are cold, spread generously with icing and dip into sprinkles or whatever decorations you like and ENJOY!!

(serves 12)

My Music Reviews..this week

Two weeks ago, i downloaded Jamie Foxx's new song featuring T-Pain: Blame it and i must say that i LOVE IT! its a cool, hip song with a modern beat featuring the auto-tune effect which makes it a very catchy yet upbeat tune.
Although the lyrics are quite controversial; apparently an attempt at getting a young and high maintenance female intoxicated with copious amounts of alcohol, which succeeds and well she eventually "lets loose" and even forgets that she has a boyfriend. But all her actions are justified when it is blamed on the effects of the alcohol.
The music video on the other hand i must say, is remarkable. Consisting of a star studded cast of cameos [Jake Gylenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Ron Howard, Samuel L Jackson, Morris Chestnut, Cedric The Entertainer, Joe, Quincy Jones, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Ashley Scott, LaToya, Dawn Richard, Electrik Red, Bill Bellamy, Jalen Scott, Tatyana Ali, Clifton Powell, Alex Thomas]. I wonder what Jamie Foxx is actually trying to prove in his video. I mean its Jamie Foxx we're talking about here, who likes to sing about infedility, fore play and gold diggers. With a cast of 4o+ years old actors who have accomplished distinguishing hollywood careers, one wonders what message is he trying to send out by using them in his video. Yes it attracts the attention of the audience, but who exactly is his target audience? Im still reeling in from the fact that i just saw Forest Whitaker in the clubs and Ron Howard? surrounded by chicks in a club? WOW! amazing! i mean yes it may be an epitome of what actually happens in society but using these big names is something that may have never been done before. (to be continued...im going to bed now!)