Baking day - Cinnameg Cupcakes

Today my daughter and I had fun making 'Cinnameg cupcakes' - cupcakes with sultanas, cinnamon and nutmeg (they are actually called 'Spicy Cupcakes' but I like 'Cinnameg' better!)

I am a fairly strict 50's style mother in many respects (I am vintage in more ways than one!). I try to encourage my children to entertain themselves and to make things from scratch - one lovely thing to do together is to bake.

This cupcake recipe comes from a fantastic book I got from a mail order company when I was about 9 years old. It is directed at children, but in fact the recipes are great to make for everyone. It has great traditional things like scones and pikelets.  The recipes are very simple to follow as you can see . .

And they turned out perfectly . . . (well, perfect as I ever get things!)

Yum!

Vintage Suburbia taste testing (excuse my make-up less face!)

If you would like to make these cupcakes, I have put the recipe below.

Happy Baking!

Recipe for 'Spicy' Cinnameg Cupcakes

Ingredients:

125 g butter

1 egg

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup milk

1 cup sultanas

Method:

1. Turn oven to 190 degrees Celsius (375 F). Set out 18 paper patty trays in muffin tins.

2. Beat butter, eg and brown sugar until smooth.

3. Sift flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a separate bowl.

4. Stir in half the flour mixture and milk into the butter mixture.

5. Fold, then stir in rest of flour mixture and sultanas.

6. Spoon into muffin/cupcake tins.

7. Bake for 15 minutes.

Eat up - yum!

Vintage afternoon tea

I love getting out my vintage tea set but don't get a chance to do it very often. My daughter had a 'play date' at our house this afternoon so I took the chance to set up a little afternoon tea for myself and the friend's mother. We had a little fruit platter, a home-made dip and home-made banana cake - it was very nice. I love drinking out of china cups - the tea tastes so much nicer. I decided against the more formal 'high tea' with the tiered plates as (a) I didn't have time and (b) I didn't want to go too over the top. My friend really enjoyed it so that was great.

Teapot and milk jug - Royal Albert 'Val D'or' - wedding gift from my mother (from whom I also inherited my taste in 'nanna chic!), cup and saucer sets - Queen Anne - 21st presents (back in the day when people had big 21st's); vase - wedding gift; centre plates and bone-handled knife - op shop find - from St Vinnie's in Pinewood, Melbourne; tablecloth - gift from Portugal; white roses - from my garden.

Vintage Suburbia demonstrating the correct placement of one's little finger when drinking tea! Dress: from USA ebay - only around $35 from memory (bought it a few mths ago)

Hope this inspires you to spoil yourself with a nice afternoon tea - it really is lovely! (by the way, if anyone can recommend a really nice place to have 'high tea' in Melbourne I would really appreciate it. I have heard the one at The Windsor is very nice but it is $45 or something - a lot for sandwiches and cakes!!).