Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean spending lots of money on showy gifts. It means taking the time to think about your loved one and do something special for them. In our case, DH and The Girls donned their aprons to demonstrate their love by baking Secret Centre Love Cupcakes, a phrase coined by my gorgeous girls because “they look like love- pink and sprinkly and so delicious and they have a secret surprisey middle bit”. I don’t know where they get it from!
- 100g butter, room temperature
- 100g caster sugar
- 100g self raising flour plus 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- ½ tsp vanilla essence
- Put everything in a mixer and blend until smooth, with 1 tbsp milk.
- Pour into lined cupcake cases.
- Bake on grid shelf on the floor of the Roasting Oven in the Aga, with the Cold Shelf two rungs above, for about 18 minutes until risen and brown.
- Leave to cool then use a knife to cut out a dip in the centre of your cupcakes and add half a teaspoon of jam, then add the wedge of cake back onto the top and press down. Don’t overfill.
- Ice in a decadent fashion to hide the secret surprise in your cupcake.
NB- there is a plunger tool that you can buy to remove a centre from your cupcakes more neatly!
The Love Cupcakes- vanilla sponge crowned with swirls of thick pink icing- that they made with daddy’s help and decorated entirely by themselves were fabulous. The beauty of the Renshaw Snip and Swirl icing that they were sent is that it is absolutely ready-to-use. You do exactly as the package suggests: snip off the end, pipe and swirl the icing on your cake before decorating as you wish. I can make icing from scratch, but that puts a lot of people off as they think they don’t possess the skills, or the ingredients: a box of this on your shelf and anyone can ice, in chocolate, vanilla or strawberry.
In our house, we take the more-is-more approach to both icing and sprinkles: these babies were stacked so high with sweet strawberry icing which had been smothered in Pink and White Pearls, Mini Chocolate Beans & Multi-Coloured Sprinkles that they kept falling over and exposing the gorgeous red metallic cupcake cases!
What my family, and indeed Renshaw, who sent the items mentioned for the purposes of this post, didn’t realise was that they gave me so much more than the Love Cupcakes one rainy Sunday Afternoon. They gave me a picture of my family to cherish; they gave me a special father-daughter moment to witness; they gave me five minutes to sit and watch my rapidly-growing children and commit their joy, enthusiasm and love to memory. They gave me the chance to drink a cup of coffee whilst still warm.
They may not be the most sartorial cupcakes, the most imaginative or creative cupcakes. But these Love Cupcakes were made with love and given with love, and that is what Valentine’s is all about.
I was sent the items mentioned for the purposes of writing this post and the chance to win a wonderful Valentine’s Prize from Renshaw.
And you can win too. Renshaw are offering 2 great prizes for you to win:
Winner:
£50 voucher to spend on renshawbaking.com
Runner Up Prize:
Our colourful range of icing multi-packs, including:
500g Primary Colour Multi-Pack
500g Neon Multi-Pack
500g Naturals Multi-Pack
All you need to do is fill in the Rafflecopter form. Click the link below.
Sam Furniss says
I’m attempting a heart-shaped lemon meringue pie with the new springform tin I bought.
Amy Beckett says
Buttermilk pancakes with bacon and syrup
Tamsin Dean says
some yummy brownies
Joanna Sawka says
a cheesecake
noodle and pickle (@noodleandpickle) says
Kids farm cupcakes
gemma clark says
self saucing chocolate cake!
Laura K says
I’ll be making a red velvet cake as it is hubby’s favourite.
Jo-Anne holton says
Heart shaped chocolate cake with red butter icing!!!!
Erica Price says
Chocolate slab cake
kelandab22 says
Rocky Road cakes!!!
Kel Ellen Hirst x
Missing Sleep says
Hubbie is better at baking, so hoping he makes me one of his big signature chocolate cakes! x
Hayley Todd says
I will be making a heart shaped victoria sponge topped with fresh cream and strawberries
Anne Woodthorpe says
love heart brownies
elliec1788 says
wow i love the cupcakes, i will be hopefully be making cupcakes
Eleanor Powell says
cupcakes – lots and lots of cupcakes!
Emily Hutchinson says
I’ve no time this year but i’ll get baking next week instead
Naomi Buchan says
Chocolate and peanut butter brownies with Icecream x
Holly Boyd says
I will be making gluten free pancakes.
sairz eastham says
chocolate brownie cake
Paula Phillips says
A chocolate cake.
mummyslittlepeeps says
Marshmallow cupcakes
sj wesley says
Red velvet cupcakes!
Caroline Anne Bellamy says
Strawberry dessert cake
Kristy Leanne Brown says
I will be making the hubster his favourite strawberry cheesecake set in love heart moulds!
Gail Bennett says
Something savoury … 🙂
Laura Pritchard says
Some heart-shaped cookies
angela sandhu (@angiesandhu) says
carrot cake
Monika S says
I will be baking chocolate cake in a shape of heart x
Mark Johnson says
fairy cakes with my son
sheridarby says
Apple Heart cake
Kelly Hooper says
Coffee Cake, make one every year without fail as its my husbands (and my 6 year old daughters) favourite cake. Daddy was not happy when she developed a taste for it and he now has to share!
Daily Brew Reviews says
fab giveway look yummy x
Sarah Mcknight says
Cookies 🙂
Karen says
I’d like to make some heart shaped cookies 🙂
Amelia Makes says
I will be making chcoolate and raspberry mousse! MMMM
Stephanie Campbell says
me and and my son are baking cookies xx
Kim Webster-Marsh says
They Look great, Me & my children will be baking chocolate cookies & a victoria sponge covered in strawberries x
jenrhymer says
Heart shaped cup cakes – mainly for the kids though 🙂
Katherine Coldicott says
Almond & Orange Cake
christy b says
These look great a fab addition to any kitchen, I will be making Shortbread hearts and chocolate Guinness cake
Ruth Harwood says
I’m going to make my son a wonderful massive cake because he broke up with his gf and she’s being very cruel to him – he deserves a good pampering x
Ian Murray says
Ill be mostly trying to bake brownies, the kids love them.
shazz says
Chocolate cupcakes
Amanda Mallows says
I’ll be baking my hubby a blackforest gateaux with lots of cream and cherries – his favourite!
winnie says
chocolate cake for hubby 🙂
Kat Lucas says
I will be baking iced sugar cookies and an assortment of candy
Valerie B says
A heart-shaped chocolate cake
Sheila Reeves says
I’ll be making some chocolate cupcakes
Louise A says
Going to be baking cinnamon rolls!
adeinne tonner says
Love heart cookies and cupcakes
kelli flanagan says
Shhhh dont tell but i’m not baking instead I am going for shop bought cakes
Emma Baker says
Heart shaped cookies, with red and white icing!
Frances Sunshine Hopkins says
Carrot cake!!
Gill Blunden says
Love cupcakes of course!
Danielle Vedmore says
Being single I will be eating a tub of ice cream and sobbing watching Bridget Jones’ Diary. Joking! Am babysitting so me and the kids are making white chocolate and cranberry cookies 🙂
Jayne T says
A chocolate fudge cake
thesoupdragonsays says
I would be baking chocolate cake!
joanna silvester says
Coffee cake, my partners favourite 🙂
Lisa Collins says
Heart shaped cookies
Elaine says
a chocolate heart cake
Emma Nixon says
Chocolate cupcakes.
Tink Rhonda Lee Mse says
I fancy peanut butter cheesecake.
Carrie Ashton says
A yummy chocolate cake
Rey Chunara says
Chocolate brownies and some cupcakes
TracyJo says
I’m just going to be baking a fruit cake and maybe the kids will make some cupcakes x
julie laing says
red velvet cake
Claire C says
I will be baking some love heart flapjacks dipped in chocolate 🙂
clairew137 says
Chocolate cake
Angie Booth says
I’m not sure as we are so busy this week, may attempt to make some cupcakes x
clair downham says
heart shaped cookies
Jo welsh says
Hoping hubby is going to take me out ! But will probably make some chocolate cup cakes with my daughters
L Hidderley says
Chocolate cake with fondant icing.
Hannah ONeill says
We will be making apple muffins
sarah birkett says
shortbread biscuits I think, and I wil try to make them into pretty shapes
Karis says
Chocolate Brownies
Clint Howat says
red velvet cake
laura banks says
i’m making a chocolate brownie cake
Caroline H says
This looks fab. I’m going to make a red velvet cake. I bake quite a lot so I’m amazed I’ve never attempted this before.
Clare R Webb says
One of my minion cakes
Greig Spencer says
chocolate heart cake
Suzanne Cooke says
Chocolate cupcakes with toppings decided by my daughter.
Susan Race says
I want to try red velvet cup cakes
justine meyer says
fairy cakes with the kids
Jessica Wilde says
I’ll be making matcha ganache filled white chocolate hearts!
Sophie Hedley says
I’ll be baking cupcakes!
pauline hill says
cup cakes
Allan Smith says
Chocolate cake!
Lisa Rowsell says
They look stunning. I’ll be attempting a chocolate & orange cake for valentine’s.
Karen K says
I’m thinking chocolate cupcakes topped with white chocolate hearts 🙂
Emma J Walters says
my boyfriend’s favourite – bakewell & shortbread slices
Helen Battle says
I’m going to be making a sachertorte 🙂
maria blythin says
they look too good to eat x yummy
Rachael G says
I will be making sticky toffee pudding for the first time!
Emily Clark says
Melt in the middle chocolate puddings.
ashleigh says
Cupcakes!
Claire Smith says
Chocolate fudge cake is what I’ll be baking
HELEN says
aww they look great!! lucky you x
Tracey Peach says
I will be baking some love heart cupcakes Yum
iain maciver says
a red velvet cake
hurrahforgin says
They look amazing, so colourful. The icing is a great idea too, anything to keep the washing up down 🙂