Cupcakey Cuteness

I hear on great authority that faeries love sparkley things and oddly, sprinkles.  Lots of sprinkles, I'm told in fact.  And they adore cake.  But they love, love, love cake with sprinkles.  If you don't give them cake with sprinkles, they get naughty and do bad things to your garden...like blow all the petals off your flowers and dig up your seeds and plant them in your neighbors garden.  I hear rumors of them feeding your carrots to the rabbits at night when nobody is looking too.  So do yourself a favor, give them sprinkles...and cake.  And throw some glitter around your trees on a full moon to appease the wee buggers!

My week has been plain crap-o and I needed a bit of magic to pull myself out of this funk I've been in.   I sit staring at a batch of the cutest cupcakes around called "Fairy Cakes".  Originally I was told that this recipe was made to celebrate nature and all the magic that happens in it.  To appease the imps, faeries and other magically mischevious beings, these little cakes were left as offerings around trees and bushes and known hidey-holes.  I don't know how true that is, but I like to think there is a little magic still left in the world - would be sad and dull if there wasn't!  Maybe its just the kid in me, who knows?!  This recipe was given to me a few years ago by a member of a group I belonged to when we designed a cookbook to be printed and sold to help our leader off-set some expenses.  It was a great project where I got to completely edit, design, proof and the whole shebang.  It was a labor of love...since then I have made these cupcakes at least once a month, sometimes more!

These cupcakes aren't overly sweet, they're very mild actually and best yet...ONE bowl.  Love that.  And they always turn out dense and well, cakey.  lol  You can add a bit of coloring to them to match your sprinkles.  Pink is always adorable and at Easter time, I dye them in pastels.  These are just terrific little gems.  Make them mini-sized if you want - just as yummy!  I promise you, you will love these cute little vanilla treats.  They are one of my kids favorites.  Make some magic for your family!  Enjoy!

Fairy Cakes

 ½ c melted butter
7 tbsp sugar
2 large eggs
¾ c self rising flour
2 tsp vanilla, divided
3 tbsp milk
1 can of buttercream icing
sprinkles!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a 12 cup muffin pan with pretty paper cups.

Mix together butter and sugar till light. Add 1 tsp vanilla and mix in eggs, one at a time. Beat well. Add flour and finish with the milk.  Make sure you scrape EVERY bit of this batter out. There is JUST enough for 12 cupcakes I promise.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown on top and spring back when you touch the top. Cool completely before frosting and decorating.  Add 1 tsp of vanilla to the buttercream icing and stir well to combine. This gives it a really nice homemade taste and not so much like the can.  (or you can make your own but that wasn't happening today.)  Add sprinkles and enjoy!

Coming next week:  mascarpone garlic cheese bread (your thighs will hate you), chocolate waffles with berry topping & a retro cafe favorite - chicken croquettes!  Yum!