I’ve had a rebellion about the whole cup cake thing. When I was child, we had fairy cakes, and butterfly buns and that was just what I made for birthday parties when my children were small. I think it was Nigella Lawson in her Domestic Goddess role who started the whole American cup cake thing in Britain. Now, I’ve nothing against having a cultural mix on the culinary front, in fact I think the national dish of Great Britain is actually Tikka Masala. But I don’t see the point in renaming an English teatime classic in order to making it appear, I don’t know, more fashionable? if I went to New York I would be so happy to seek out a cup cake (or two?) but I like the whole English Vicarage tea party idea of the fairy cake or the butterfly bun.
But I was happy to enter a cup cake competition which was in aid of Children in Need which was what my friend Emmeline at the Cherryleaf Coffee House in Norwich was running this Sunday. We paid to enter four cakes, one was tasted by the judges and then the rest were sold to raise money for this amazing good cause.
You know, I haven’t done the butter icing thing for ages. These days I tend towards a more grown-up icing sugar/lemony thing on my little cakes but I decided that I would fly the flag on the whole fairy/cup cake thing and make butterfly buns and you have to have butter icing for those. Now, Nigella appears to waft about the kitchen in her dressing gown whipping up tasty morsels. Me, in the kitchen with butter and icing sugar probably needed industrial protective clothing.
And it probably wasn’t a good idea to pop the icing sugar and butter (and it was chopped and softened, I’m not completely stupid) into a bowl and switch on the food mixer. Once I’d cleared the fog of icing sugar ( and removed the sneezing pets) I could see that the icing was actually blending together nicely, and was ready to be piped. I could only get the syringe type of icing equipment when I dashed to the local supermarket, just the same design as the one I threw out in disgust years ago. And it had all the same design faults. The collar which attached the nozzle didn’t quite fit and the thread kept crossing so it popped off. The syringe part didn’t quite screw in tightly so it fell off at crucial moments. By the time I had created four buns out of the twelve I had made which were worthy of public scrutiny I had butter icing over everything. The work top, the floor, Higgins, (Henry ran off at the icing sugar cloud stage) my clothes, hair….
Oh, and some buns…
…butterfly buns… They taste fine, I put lemon juice and zest in the cake mix and orange juice and zest in the icing.
We got the buns to the Cherryleaf this morning. There were lots of entries, and I know that to date £90 has been raised for Children in Need which is fantastic.
Back home, I can now reveal my sixth and final cushion. This time I went for zigzags, and I’m really happy I did. It took a little time to make the colour sequence flow, but I think this is my favourite of all. I like it even more than the fair isle ones, there is something really zingy about it. What do you think?
I’m feeling bad because I have been promising for ages to post a zigzag tutorial, but it is under way and will be here hopefully this week.
I have been overwhelmed by the lovely comments I have have had over the last months, thank you all so much. It’s wonderful to feel I have made so many new friends in Blogging Land, both in cyber space and in reality. I’m also SO excited to see something I have devised and written a pattern for being made by someone else. Do go over to Penelope by the Sea’s blog to see her version of the Christmas Bunting. I’d love to see other versions if you have made them.
I must away now, I have a date with some robins…
Curious?
Come back again and find out!
In the meantime, there is also a little bit of butter icing to chip off the kitchen door!
P.S. I’ve just found out I won the prize for the best looking cupcake. Wow!! First time I’ve ever won a beauty contest!
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Well done Penny, cakes look beautiful!
Well done!They are spiffy looking.
I had never heard of “cupcakes” until I emigrated to Canada. As far as I am concerned they are fairy cakes, but if you say ‘fairy cake’ you just get a blank stare. Two nations separated by a common language.
Kisses for the furry family.
Jane x
Wow!!! I love your crochet….the colours are really gorgeous. And well done for the cake prize 🙂
Yum! I so feel like cake right now too but have hours to wait until Karen gets home with delicious food!!!!!!!
Loving the cushion, it’s my fave so far and the colours together are awesome, great stuff!
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Congratulations on the beauty competion win!
I too prefer the fairy cakes, small and refined, unlike cupcakes which are big and brash. Perhaps they reflect the “national” character (with apologies to my lovely American friend).
Your cushion cover is almost a colour match for my zigzag/ripple blanket. I still prefer your fair isle cushion though.
Carol xx
I agree with you on the fairy versus cup cake debate. I too was brought up with fairy cake terminology and feel they are a more delicate, dainty kind of cake rather than big chunky gorge yourself silly cup cakes. Yours look scrummy and I likethe lemon twist!
As for your cushion, just delicious and altogether they make quite the collection. Such a lovely colourful place to sit and chill xox Thanks for the mention, it’s amazing how many people like the bunting and so the hooky inspiration goodness spread!
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Thank you for brightening my days with your cheerful comments on your activities and the lovely Higgins (he sounds so entertaining). I do so agree with you about the cupcake/fairy cake thing.
Congratulations on winning! Love the new cushion but the fairisle ones are still my favourites.
Beautiful buns! Well done, I bet you were bursting when you won! Your cushions look wonderful and I have serious cushion envy. My titchy granny squares are coming along but I have no idea how they will become a cushion! I love the fair isle cushions but I love the impact of the squares, stripe and fair isle together. Can’t wait to see the robins! Sarah (pompoms) x
Well I’m not going to choose because I really couldn’t. Love the ripple; I have done a ripple blanket – possibly using the same yarn range as you and I am as thrilled as anything with it. But I do aspire to do some fair isle which I think I will find very difficult and totally admire those cushions.So I think they are equal in their splendor and I love seeing them all together. It’s fairy cakes for the litle dainty ones and cup cakes if they are bigger – that’s what I have decided anyway. Well done on 1st prize for your little stars. Fairy cakes sounds nicer too!
Congratulations! Those buns looks really delicious! I wish I could have a taste! Your new cushion is wonderful – but the most lovely sight is to have all of them together on that beautiful blanket!
Sunny wishes Teje and hugs for Higgins!
Hi Penny – so many Pennies in bloglan we will soon make a pound! now you tell me of another – by the sea – so I just have to visit !
I love your fairy cakes – nice and traditional and your funny description of making them. I leave ALL baking to my teenage daughter !
I can’t make a decision about which cushion I prefer but I know that I prefer fairy-cake to cup-cake. Why buy one of those icing syringes when all you need is a triangle of parchment and an icing nozzle? Well done for winning the first prize.
I know, but it’s so long since I did any fancy icing I had to buy the nozzles, and the only way our local supermarket sold those was in the kit with the silly syringe! I’ll know better next time (if there is a next time!!) P x