A few years ago I made myself a birthday cake, which did not go down well with Mr Lemon Drizzle as he had already bought me a cake, which while incredibly generous and thoughtful.was a SHOP BOUGHT CAKE!!!
Last year I did not make a cake so as not to rain on his parade, and of course no cake arrived.
This year I made the first strike and actually asked if there was to be a cake.
"I'll buy you one" he said
"I will not have a SHOP BOUGHT CAKE for my birthday!!!! Are you prepared to make me a cake?"
"No I am not"
So I let it be known to my family that I will make myself a birthday cake. However as they are suffering from cake fatigue I decided to go with cupcakes.
I have adapted this recipe from a Nigella cake to make 12 cupcakes.
Beat the butter and sugars together until creamy. Add the eggs and then sift in the flour and mix together. Mix in 2-3 tablespoons of cream until a soft dropping consistancy is achieved. Divide between 12 cupcake cases.
Cook in a pre-heated oven 175 fan for 15-20mins, until golden brown and springy to touch.
For the frosting disolve the sugar in the water by heating gently, do not stir as this crystalises it. Once disolved boil until it becomes a dark golden caramel. (I use a sugar thermometer as it stops me worrying about temperatures.) Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the cream, then leave to cool.
Beat the cream cheese and a third to a half of the caramel. You may need to leave it to harden a bit before you top the cupcakes.
For a little extra naughtiness drizzle some of the caramel onto the cakes!
Enjoy!
