A Ramble of Hugs & Cupcakes

Now, I’m not an outstandingly huge advocate of any form of affection. (For proof of this, see here.) In fact, quite often I shy away from it unless I’ve got a few drinks under the belt. But there are occasions that call for a big fat bear hug. A display of love, comfort and friendship. I’m not particularly good at hugs, which is something I’m not proud of. I am one who prefers to offer other things that demonstrate my fondness. For example, today I made my dear mother cupcakes. Which she will probably hate me for.

But it got me thinking, how effective something like a hug can be. My heart has just felt shattered seeing the most horrific images of the recent natural disasters. To have your whole life literally swept away from you or crushed, your friends and family, your home, your pets, your belongings, heck – I get upset when I can’t get the internet working on my darn phone, I just cannot imagine the gravity of the position these poor people are in.

It really has made me reconsider the magnitude of any of my own tiny problems. My problems can mostly be bandaged with a cuddle. Suffice to say, of course I’ve donated my ‘love’ (i.e. moolah) to several charities. [send your love to Japan here, to Christchurch here, to Queensland here] But it doesn’t really seem enough. There should be a way to send them a hug.

Off the somber subject, here is the delightful recipe to the cupcakes I offered my mother as a substitute for a hug.

Hazelnut Chocolate Cupcakes.

I’m not a huge fan of Nutella on toast. I’d eat it from the jar as a kid, which was a real no-no in my house. But wack it on a slice of Tip Top and you send me running. It does absolutely nothing for my appetite. However, I’ve never been to France. Apparently Nutella is enormously popular on anything from crepes to croissants. This I’d be up for. Mostly because I am more likely to trust what the French are doing to my plate than anyone else.

But this recipe is not from France, it happens to be taken from the beautiful Hummingbird Bakery cookbook, which my darling friend brought me back from London. And oh, my god, they are amazing. If I do say so myself.

You will need:

100g plain flour

20g cocoa powder

140g caster sugar

1 ½  teaspoons baking powder

a pinch of salt

40g butter, at room temperature

120ml whole milk

1 egg

120g chocolate hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)

about 36 whole, shelled hazelnuts to decorate

hazelnut and chocolate frosting:

250g icing sugar, sifted

80g unsalted butter, at room temperature

25ml of whole milk

80g hazelnut and chocolate spread (Nutella)

Makes 12

Preheat the oven to 170 °C

Put the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (I unfortunately do not own one of these so had to use my lame old electric whisk) and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined.

Slowly pour the milk into the flour mixture, beating well until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add the egg and beat well (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula).

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the sponge bounces back when touched. Leave the cupcakes to cook slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooking rack to cool completely.

When the cupcakes are cool, hollow out a small section in the centre of each one and fill with a dollop of hazelnut and chocolate spread.

For the hazelnut and chocolate frosting:

Beat the icing sugar and butter together, on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Turn the mixer down to a slower speed. Slowly pour in the milk, then when it is all incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

Stir in the hazelnut and chocolate spread by hand until evenly mixed into the frosting. When the cupcakes are cold, spoon the frosting on top and finish with about 3 hazelnuts per cupcake.

Perfect with a cup of black tea.

P.S. Speaking of hugs, remember this? Love it.

What’s in a Valentine…

What I am about to say may come as a shock, as I happen to be notorious for being outrageously unromantic i.e. I cringe when poor Boyfriend attempts to convey any sort of affection, I loathe PDA’s, I think cupid is stupid, I despise those abhorrent pet names, I think a bunch of flowers is a waste of a bunch of money. Boyfriend and I don’t go out on dates for fear of partaking in the ‘couples convention’ and looking like those wanky swingers holding hands through the most unnecessary circumstances – for example, you do NOT need someone to hold your hand when you are riding escalator. Some people are on tight schedules and need to get to the next floor in a jiffy and your handholding is BLOCKING MY WAY.

This all said, I’m just going to put my bipolar opinion out there: I have a bit of a crush on Valentines Day. Not even Boyfriend knows this. After all, it celebrates everything that I am repulsed by i.e. affection, devotion, romance etc. Ew. But every February 14^th, I find myself craving those stupid heart shaped chocolates, pining over roses, hungry for a dinner date and following perhaps a rom com. All of these darling gestures that just make you feel LOVED. And who doesn’t love to feel loved. However, Valentines Day for the coupled up does have the potential to be the most pitiful day of the year.

1. Your significant other actually paid money for one of those appallingly tacky teddy bears from the local 7 Eleven which probably had ‘I Wuv You’ written on it.
2. Your partner decides that V-day is el lamo and doesn’t want to celebrate it and/or even bother to see you even though you already went out and purchased some la-la lingerie. Humf. Just saying.
3. Your boyfriend and/or girlfriend forgets that it’s Valentines Day. I don’t know how anyone could do this unless they have been walking around with their eyes closed for the past 4 weeks. Which some people do, clearly.
4. You think you’re masterchef and cook your other half a batch of inedible, vulgar and in fact sickening batch of cupcakes. Inedible because they did not include egg, or the correct sugar to flour ratio. Vulgar in that the icing was a ridiculous lumpy texture. Sickening, as I had actually thought that Valentines Day cupcakes were cute and adorable and that boyfriend would think so too. Clearly this lovey-dovey pressure got the better of me.

Whilst, evidently, I adore the idea of it and take a lot of pleasure putting effort into making the day special in the form of a cupcake, V-day can sometimes be a little sobering. Perhaps it’s that grim reminder that a. you don’t have someone to celebrate it with or b. you don’t have any romance in your current relationship to rejoice in.

But the day of Valentine’s doesn’t have to be honoring romantic love. I love love. Love of all kinds. I love Boyfriend, of course, but I also love my chums, my buddies, my ma & pa, my dog, my bed, my cupcakes (when recipe is dutifully followed), my morning coffee, my afternoon coffee, my pajamas, my Macbook, my Dior perfume, the list goes on. Hence I have come to the conclusion that V-day should just be a reminder of the things we love, and one should express their love to all things listed above on this day. Christmas in February basically.

Love the day. Love, Cait. xoxoxoxoxo

P.S. Do note that I will never ever give ex’s or oh’s ever again on this blog.

P.P.S. Boyfriend, all I want is some effing chocolate.

Here’s a treat: