Bit of BBC Baking .....

So I decided to do some baking, like you do. Except I never did, the mere thought of the kitchen used to bring me out in a hot sweat - yeah, I know, very ladylike! But, well some of you that have known me long enough will have to attest to the fact that I'm right - I know poor Janet will! I just never learnt. Mum was always the cook in the house. In fact I even remember as far back as secondary school, everyone else would have prepared a three course meal in the time it took me to roll pasty! Although now I make the best shortcrust pastry :) Then when I lived in the nurses home I lived on pot noodles and hot buttered toast, and even I couldn't screw that up! Then I married Paul, and I did try, honest, but some of my worst kitchen disasters happened then. Then I married Jeff (I know, bad Catholic girl!) and he was so much better than me in the kitchen and so, what you gonna do? Obviously sit back and do even less cooking :) Although he wasn't perfect. I remember the defrosting of a gateaux once which he cooked full power for 5 minutes instead of defrost - it poured it's way out of the microwave LOL!

But for some strange reason I have got blooming good at the baking lark and do like to try new recipes. I fancied making some chocolate and orange cupcakes. Found a recipe on the BBC website by Joanna Wheatley from the GBBO. Check. Got the ingredients. Check. Read the instructions. Hmmmm, check (see, I should have gone with the hmmmm, instead of continuing.

"Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder together in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until combined."


Now I've melted the butter. I've used buttermilk. I've even seen recipes where you use mayonnaise. But I've never seen a cake recipe where you add the butter to the dry ingredients.

I persevered and the cooked and tasted. But. Trying to mix the butter into the dry was a complete nightmare - would have been perfect for scones or pastry, so the texture was wrong. Won't be trying that one again. I mentioned it to Mum, who's been baking like forever and she agreed, not easy to mix the butter into dry.

And the saddest part of the whole thing? I used to own a business that turned over a quarter of a million annually ......... and now I'm blogging about cupcake recipes LOL! *whispers "and loving it"*