Bake Sale Cakes...

I know this is going to cause a stir around the more community driven of you, but I hate baking for the annual bake sale held in my daughters school... Isn't that awful? I will try to explain myself,  as you know I love baking, so it is difficult for me to bake dotey little cupcakes, or delicious biscuit cakes, using wonderful ingredients and lots of love, and then to see them either smashed into bags of "lucky dip" and being sold for less than 50 cents or worse scoffed in two seconds by some ten year old boy who has no respect for presentation.  

I want ooooh and aaaah showered over my creations, I want them popped into an appreciative gob and to immediately followed by "oaf myf...chew chew... GOFPH" - I want people on their knees begging for more...

I hate the way, at this bake sale, the cakes are priced all the same, and I took serious umbrage the first year when my blackberry and vanilla cupcakes (with real vanilla) were priced beside something I can only describe as iced doo doo.  Rice crispie buns made with cooking chocolate are hardly in the same league as my caramel centred dairy milk chocolate rice crispie balls... so I can no longer bring myself to fork out for expensive ingredients, and precious time, when the produce is thrown around like hay at a horse fair.

Therefore I introduce you to the Bake Sale Fairy Cake, a cheap little processor quick cupcake.. perfect fodder for toddlers, 'tweeners and headmasters.  

Iced Sweethearts

You'll need

150gms self raising flour

125gms caster sugar

125gms unsalted butter, softened

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 tbsps milk

Some strawberry jam

For the icing

500gms Icing sugar

Some coconut milk

Blitz all the ingredients in a food processor until a smooth batter, the eggs being at room temperature should prevent a curdle but if it does add a bit more flour.  Plop about two tsps of mixture into the bottom of prepared baking cases on a baking tray.  

Then add a half teaspoon of jam to the centre of that and top with more mix.  Space the cases evenly so to get perfectly round cakes. Bake at 200 degrees in a preheated oven for about 20 mins or so... a toothpick inserted will come out clean when ready.  Leave to cool before icing with the sugar mixed gradually until stiff peaks (don't rush this you can add more but not take it out!!)

You can see where the name comes from when you bite in, a sweet heart does a sweetheart make!

While I was snapping these little cupcakes for this blog, a little hand snuck into the shot... what could I do? Believe me the mmm mmm sounds eminating from the little thief were worth forfeiting a better shot for!