One of my favourite kitchen appliances is my KitchenAid, and I used it very frequently when I baked for my students, family, and friends. I usually make cupcakes or biscuits, because I don’t have a proper oven, and my convection oven can’t take large baking tins or trays.
I haven’t baked in ages, not since we started trying for a baby years ago, because I just didn’t feel like baking. Something about not having a bun in my oven, and seeing cakes in the oven, I guess. After Noah was born, the KitchenAid was put into storage, as we needed the counter space for the steriliser.
I’ve been dreaming of baking together with Noah, and got the learning tower to fulfil this dream, now that we are finally back for good in Singapore. This week, I rescued my beloved KitchenAid from its prison, and it is now sitting proudly on our (stained) kitchen counter again.
Hello, gorgeous!
After not baking for so long, I figured I should stick to a tried-and-tested simple recipe, especially since I wanted to let Noah help. I put the butter and sugar into the mixing bowl beforehand, but waited for Noah to wake up, so that he could watch the KitchenAid work its magic.
Look!
I then got Noah to help me sieve the flour and baking powder together, and thankfully, he didn’t create too much of a mess.
Sieving carefully
He was very fascinated by all the mixing action in the KitchenAid!
Watching intently
He wanted to help me scoop the batter into the cups, but I didn’t let him, because the convection oven was already beeping at me, after being pre-heated. Also, I couldn’t remember how much batter to put into each cup, after not baking for so long, and some ended up spilling over onto the tray while they were being baked. These cupcakes were definitely not my best work, but I think they turned out pretty decently, don’t you?
All done!
Noah also enjoyed eating some of it for his afternoon tea, even though he seldom eats cake.
Is this edible?
Yes it is!
Basic Vanilla Cupcakes (from Cupcake Heaven
*) makes approximately 16 cupcakes
225g butter (room temperature) 190g caster sugar (I used 175g) 1 tsp vanilla extract 4 eggs 200g sifted plain flour 3 tsp baking powder
1. Preheat oven to 160°C. 2. Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla essence together, until light and fluffy. 3. Gently beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a tablespoon of the flour if the mixture starts to separate. 4. Fold in the sifted flour and baking powder, until texture is smooth. 5. Spoon the mixture into baking cups. 6. Bake for 20 minutes, and check if cupcakes are ready by inserting a skewer into the middle of a cupcake. If the skewer comes out clean, the cupcakes are ready. 7. Remove from oven, and cool the cupcakes on a cooling rack. 8. Store for up to three days in an airtight container, or freeze for up to three months.
After our first successful bake, I decided to try making Milo cupcakes, simply because I didn’t have cocoa powder at home. I thought it was even more delicious than the vanilla cupcakes!
Milo Cupcakes makes approximately 16 cupcakes
150g butter (room temperature) 150g caster sugar (I used 125g) 3 large eggs 125g plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla extract (I didn’t add this) 2-3 tbsp Milo powder (depending on your personal preference)
1. Preheat oven to 175°C. (I set mine to 180°C because my convection oven only had 160°C or 180°C.) 2. Cream butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. 3. Beat the eggs in, one at a time. 4. Sift the flour and baking powder over the mixture, and fold in. 5. Fold in the Milo powder, until the mixture is smooth and light brown in colour. 6. Spoon the mixture into baking cups. 7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until well risen and golden brown. Check if cupcakes are ready by inserting a skewer into the middle of a cupcake. If the skewer comes out clean, the cupcakes are ready. 8. Remove from oven, and cool cupcakes on a cooling rack.
Milo Cupcakes
I’m definitely looking forward to more baking sessions with my new kitchen helper! Hopefully, we can progress to cooking too, and he might enjoy eating his meals more, if he helps to prepare his own food. 🙂
*This is an affiliate link, which means that if you buy the book after clicking on this link, a few cents from this sale goes to Noah’s book fund, at absolutely no cost to you.
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