28 June – My godson, Benjamin, turned the big FOUR a few weeks ago. As we all know, kids grow up far too quickly. I met my godson for the first time just a few days after he was born, I remember it like it was only yesterday.My godson, Benjamin, turned the big FOUR a few weeks ago. As we all know, kids grow up far too quickly. I met my godson for the first time just a few days after he was born, I remember it like it was only yesterday.
Now he’s already such a little man. How time flies.
I made some cupcakes for his party, using chocolate and marshmallows, as requested by the birthday boy. I used the ever reliable chocolate cupcake recipe from Cooks Illustrated. I altered it slightly, by using a 50:50 mix of Cadbury Bourneville and Dutch-processed cocoa.
To create a smoother chocolate flavour for the kiddies, I also added Callebaut milk chocolate drops. One of the finest Belgian chocolates available, I picked up a kilo ofCallebaut chocolate on my recent visit to Harris Farm Markets at Broadway Shopping Centre. To decorate the cupcakes, I used Swiss Meringue Buttercream, topped with mini marshmallows and chocolate-freckled letters to spell out HAPPY BIRTHDAY BENJAMIN (!!).
Chocolate Freckled Letter
I tipped a bag of hundreds and thousands onto a small baking tray. I melted some milk chocolate until just liquid, then transferred to a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle. I proceeded to pipe the mirror image of each letter, onto the hundreds and thousands. The tray was then transferred to the fridge to set (approximately 30-60 minutes.
Once solid, they can then be transferred to an airtight container until required. To finish each cupcake, it’s just a matter of gently pushing the letters into the icing to spell out the special birthday message.
Suffice to say, the kids loved it. Not sure if it was the marshmallows, hundreds and thousands or the fact they could pick out the cupcake that featured their initial, the cupcakes were a roaring success. And most importantly, look at my godson’s face! Mission accomplished.
Happy birthday Benjamin!
