Kids cup cakes

Today has been DS's 9th birthday! As school days in France are too long to have the birthday party the same day, the event gets celebrated over several days.. there's a tea party at school, a party with friends on another day and a celebration with family and a birthday cake at home.

For the tea party at school, I made chocolate cupcakes, decorated with colored icing, stars, and smarties.


A quick snap before dashing to his school to deliver the cakes, having exchanged my apron and tee for a white shirt and grabbed my 'Au Coeur de la Ve' mousse, folding it in the basic bias.


Chocolate Cupcakes (makes 12)

2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons boiling water

175gr (6oz) soft light brown sugar
175gr (6oz) unsalted softened butter
3 eggs
175gr (6oz) superfine self-raising flour
50gr (2oz) ground almonds
100gr (4oz) dark chocolate, chopped into little chunks

In a small bowl, blend together the cocoa powder and water to make a smooth paste, and leave to cool.

Place the sugar and butter in a mixing bowl and beat together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, until the mixture is thick and smooth. Beat in the cocoa mixture. Sift in the flour and combine. Add the ground almonds, and fold in carefully. Last, fold in the chocolate chunks.

Pour mixture in a cupcake tray (molds lined with paper cups) and bake for approx. 20 min in a preheated oven (160 degrees/325F/Gas mark3)

Let cool on a wire rack and decorate with melted chocolate or icing sugar and colorful sweets.



The party with his friends (a treasure hunt, still working on the clues...) will be on Sunday. More baking to come!



Other party creations: