Kid friendly cupcakes for birthdays partys

These are really simple to make with a mixer or electric whisk. They are easy to make with very little help from a young age. They don't taste great, there is less butter in them than my usual fairy cakes and I miss the salty butteriness, so I would say that they need a little something added chocolate chips, dried fruit,  jam in the middle, or frosting on top, to add flavour.  Be warned though this does yield about 24 cupcakes but they can be frozen provided they are not iced/frosted.  And lets be honest buns are a staple of any kids birthday party.

Dry ingredients
3 cups self raising flour
1 cup sugar

Wet ingredients
4 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
6 tbsp melted butter

1. Preheat the oven to 175 c
2. Add dry ingredients to a mixing bowl.
3. Crack each egg separately into a bowl (like a soup bowl) before adding to a larger bowl (I use a batter bowl or Pyrex jug). This is so you can deal with egg shells, bad eggs and double yolks. Add the cup of milk and vanilla and whisk it with a fork.
4. Pop the butter in the microwave and let it melt it should take less than a minute. Allow to cool before adding to the wet mix and giving it a stir.
5. Add the wet mix to the dry mix and switch on the mixer to get it going until the batter is smooth 3mins or so but don't forget to scrape down the sides with a spatula and give it another quick mix.
6. To help measuring out evenly I use an ice cream scoop.
7. Bake in the oven for 10-15 mins until nice and brown and a cocktail stick or skewer comes out clean.

Post Birthday Party reward for the Mammies:
When you get the kids to bed after the party treat yourself to some Kahlua (or Tia Maria) and Baileys Cupcakes.
If you make chocolate buns hold back some of the batter and add a little Kahlua to the buns.  Make up some buttercream icing but instead of adding cream or milk but the frosting use Baileys lots of Baileys and this time of year you'll get Irish Cream Liquer chocolates in Lidl. Just saying you might be worth it.

A love song to the Chelsea Bun

So, for most things baking related I'm pretty much up for anything.  There are a few things that still give me the heeby-jeebyz and working with yeast is one of them.  This is a little ironic that in my youth I worked in a pizzeria making bin loads of dough from fresh yeast - happy as a clam sitting on a mixer while stretching and kneading dough until they fired my ass and, well, that's another story for another day!

This recipe is loosely based on the one that comes in the Kenwood cookbook; it's the wunderkind of a cinnamon bun and a Chelsea bun. It's simple to make, but takes time, it is worth it though.  I have included suggestions for making the drawn out process as lazy as possible.

There are variations where you use fruit soaked in tea or whiskey overnight and I'll update this after I make my Christmas cakes when I will be soaking the fruit in Jameson anyway. 

Equipment notes;

You will need to use your 8" tin (which I usually use for my Christmas cake) for putting the rolls in. I use a silicone brush for brushing the dough and the glaze.

Be warned this recipe makes twelve and they are that good warm that you may attempt to eat them all so make sure you have enough mouths.

Dry ingredients

500g Strong White Flour

1 tsp Salt

2 sachets of dried fast action yeast

75g sugar

50g butter

Wet ingredients

225g lukewarm milk*

1 egg

Filling

Light muscovado sugar

A fistful of sultanas or two

Mixed spice

Cinnamon

30g Butter melted

Glaze:

40g Sugar

4tbsp water

1. Dry ingredients into a stand mixer with a dough hook. Turn it onto it's lowest setting and let the butter mix in properly. 
2. Mix the wet ingredients together and pour into the dry ingredients and leave the machine to knead for 5 mins.
3. Take the dough off the hook and leave it in the bowl covered with clingfilm (saran wrap) that has been oiled on the inside. Put it in a warm place for an hour or until it has doubled in size. (Note: how I do this is put the bowl near a radiator turn on the heating and watch a couple of half hour shows on netflix when they're over move to step four.
4. Peel off the cling film carefully you'll be using it again shortly.  Knock the air out of the dough by putting the bowl back into the stand mixer with the dough hook and turning it on for 1 min.
5. Grease your 8" tin
6. Roll out the dough till its about a foot square.  Brush it generously with melted butter sprinkle a good fistful of muscovado sugar in an even layer and the sprinkle the spices on top about a level tsp of each for me works for me and then finally the dried fruit evenly over the dough.
7. Roll it up like a big old swiss roll.  Cut it in half, then cut those halves in half to make four even pieces which are finally each divided in three.  Place the rolls cut side up in the prepared tin and cover with the cling film again.  Place them in the warm place again for 30-40mins. (Note: This time you make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and turn on the oven to 200c before you sit down to watch another episode of something and when it's over pop the buns in the oven).
8. Bake for 20-25 mins.  Take them out of the oven but leave them in the tin. 
9. To make the glaze: put sugar and water in the pot and dissolve over a medium. Dont bother with a spoon just swirl it to mix. Once the sugar has been dissolved let the glaze boil for a minute or two until it becomes syrupy. Brush it on the buns and allow to cool.

*How to know if your milk is lukewarm (the right temperature)

Pop the milk in the microwave for 20 seconds, stick a washed finger knuckle in and ask yourself this does it feel nice and warm but you wouldn't describe it as warm enough to be hot. If you still feel I'm being a little wishy washy try this pour equal quantities of boiling water and tap water together and stick your finger in the cup. That's how it should feel but you needn't be too exacting.