Vanilla Cupcakes

I haven't baked for a long time that I almost thought it was possible to unlearn the skills my Auntie Tere had taught me.  The last time I made cashew brownies was when Marc, my husband, and me were just friends (women have their ways you know – *wink*), and that was 6 to 7 years ago!

So last December I decided to bake again because Marc kept on teasing me about my “Ultra RARE Brownies”, as what he would call it.  The results of my first and second trials were far from being perfect.  The orange chiffon cake, that I had already mastered 15 years ago, almost did not pass to be edible in quality.  I was so disheartened that I almost quit.  If it wasn't for my mom and Marc's encouraging words, I guess I might have.

Then I decided to forget about my old recipes and started researching for new ones.  Well, not actually forget about them, but to set them aside just until I got the confidence I needed back so I can reinvent recipes again.  Thank God I found a simple vanilla cupcake recipe and realized that this was just what I needed.

 A simple recipe…

 

Then maybe put in a little glamour to it…

 

 Not being content with a plain buttercream icing, raspberry preserves were added for a little more pizazz.  Then I topped them with cherries to complete the Valentines theme.

 

Valentines day was also Marc’s maternal grandmother’s birthday so we decided to add a lighted candle (which we later realized was not a great idea when the buttercream frosting started to melt).

 

I was so grateful for this simple yet colorful recipe that I finally gained my MOJO back.  Yay!

I am also thankful for all the tips generously given by all the bakers I know (Thank you Kevin, Mjhay, Joyce, Auntie Resy, and Auntie Tere), and to my family, relatives, friends, and officemates for always appreciating all the goodies that I bake.


When was the last time you went through a steep learning curve that you almost gave up?  What did you do about it?


I hope to hear from you...