Cupcakes

              

Recently, I managed to acquire an old fashioned set of weighing scales, well-used and slightly rusty, but they still have plenty of life left in them. There's something quite lovely about owning something vintage with all that fascinating history to wonder about. 

              

My mother has a set of these type of scales and it is what I grew up using and learnt to measure ingredients for baking on. I've always wanted some so when I saw them advertised I knew I had to snap them up. I bought them home and the children were as excited as I was to try them out. I asked the children what they would like to make and their immediate response was cupcakes, of course!

My children absolutely adore cupcakes, and not just eating them. I like to get them involved in the whole process; making the batter, filling up the cupcake cases and, best of all, making the icing and spreading it over the slightly cooled cakes and pouring the sprinkles on the top! They love to pour the ingredients into the bowl and stir everything together with their big wooden spoons. We learn about weighing the ingredients, numbers and balancing, which is a lovely introduction to simple mathematics. I just love it when learning can be fun!

Cupcakes

Ingredients for batter:

4 oz (100g) butter

4 oz (100g) castor sugar

4 oz (100g) self raising flour

2 eggs

Ingredients for icing:

Icing sugar

water

food colouring

sprinkles (optional)

1) Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2) add the eggs one at a time.

3) Add the flour and mix.

4) Spoon into cupcake cases.

5) Bake at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes.

6) Ice once cooled.