… it’s actually quite hard to believe that today I celebrate the 4th anniversary of my blog. I genuinely say that without meaning to seem glib but if you really knew me, which many of you by now clearly do, you would know how flaky I can be, so the very fact that i’m sitting here still blathering away about stuff is quite quite astounding. I’m not going to wax lyrically about the past four years, the ups and downs of blogging or the rials and tribulations of being part of the best community in the world because if you’re still out there and still reading this then you know all about it and you’ve been there either with me or doing it for yourself so you know and I don’t really want this celebratory post to turn into a rant and of course you know how much I love a rant… but I do want to take this opportunity to say thank-you.
thank-you for all the late-night comments and competition entries… thank-you for the retweets and facebook likes… thank-you for actually trying out my recipes and reporting back… and being kind… thank-you for being patient when some of my posts have been, quite frankly, sporadic and a little on the shitty side… thank-you for visiting… but most of all thank-you for letting me continue to blather…
chocolate chip vanilla cupcakes
with Easter fast approaching the good folk at BakingMad sent me some Silver Spoon goodies to bake with and try out some recipes from their website… as usual I couldn’t just stick to what I found on the site because i’m a little stubborn like that but I really like the simplicity of these little cupcakes and the fact that they taste quite old-fashioned… and a good quality, classic cupcake recipe is always a fine thing to have in your back pocket. The products were perfectly lovely – I received some chocolate icing sugar, which was very handy and really easy to use and some dark chocolate chips that went both into the cake batter and on top for decoration but there was one suspect package in the form of a large bar of ‘milk chocolate flavour cake covering’… chocolate flavour… what the noggin is THAT?
oh and in case you’re wondering about my no cake for a month rule, these were made for my lovely neighbour Tracey’s birthday, not for me…
for the cupcakes
190g sugar
190g butter – room temp
3 large free-range eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder sifted into 190g plain flour
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
a handful of Silver Spoon dark chocolate chips
a little milk
for the icing
1 packet of Silver Spoon chocolate icing sugar
100g softened butter
1 teaspoon water
in a large bowl beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy then beat in one egg followed by a third of flour, then the next egg followed by another third of the flour and then finally the last egg and the remaining flour
add the vanilla, the chocolate chips and a little milk and beat in till mixed together and you have a thick dropping consistency
place a large tablespoon of cake batter into each cupcake case and bake for 15 mins or until golden and glorious – remove from oven and set aside to cool
make the icing by combing the ingredients into a thickish paste and then slather unceremoniously onto the cupcake and decorate will gay abandon
eat and of course, enjoy!
Not sure I ever thought to see cupcakes on your blog Dom, but very pretty they are too and lovely to have a friend's birthday to celebrate as well as your blog's. Love love love your blog Dom, please don't be so flaky you give up on it. Expect to see it for the next 4 years at the very least!
As for chocolate flavoured cake covering – I didn't know this sort of rubbish still existed!
Happy blogiversary, blogging brother! x x
Happy Blogaversary! I really enjoy your blog posts and hope that I will continue to be inspired to go on for at least 4 years 😉
Happy four years of blogging! I always enjoy coming here and you always create such delicious recipes. Here's to many more years!
The cupcakes look yummy. Do you have some spare ones?
Congrats for being still here with your blog after 4 years. Keep it up!
blather away my good man, here's to the next four years.
Many congratulations on your 4 year anniversary – you're twice as old as me LOL:-) I'll just call you grandad:-)
Congratulations, Dom! Long may you continue to be your wonderful self.xx p.s. my birthday is on….
Happy blog birthday! Here's to the next 4 🙂
Happppppppppy blogging-versary Dom! Here's to another super year of brilliant blogging, inspiring posts, fab recipes and even a rant or two…
Geez Dom, this is the third time I've tried to say Happy Blog Anniversary, there were loads more nice things in the other comments, but I'm giving up! Smutty love from Janice X
Happy anniversary from me and I look forward to many more of them!
It was lovely to meet you last year too.
Congratulations Dom – I am ever so pleased I found you (and ever so disappointed I missed you in Soho). And congratulations on your no cake for a month – I have supposedly given up chocolate for Lent, which is how I find myself sitting here with a big block beside me. Denial is the devil's work is all I'll say…
A BIG fat HAPPY BLOG BIRTHDAY Dom and when I see you next, the drinks are on me, well ONE at least! LOL! I love you and your blog and it's wonderful to see it go from strength to strength! Karen xxxx
Woot! Woot! Here's to four years !! It's been such a pleasure getting to know you, Dom! I will continue to cheer you on to world domination … and you can rant any old time you like ! Big XO!
Happy 4th birthday!
Happy Birthday!!!!
Se ven lindos y perfectos sus cupcake …Feliz cumple blog tiene muy buenas recetas,abrazos
Wow, party time! Those cupcakes look scrummy. Happy Bloggiversary!
How did I miss this? Better late than never – Happy belated Blogoversary. 4 years is an amazing achievement and I hope there will be many more to come. I love reading your blog and participating in Random Recipes. The cupcakes look great – I've never seen or tried chocolate icing sugar.