Cupcake surprise

Staying on the subject of celebrations, I am one of those who believe that no celebration is complete without a cake. Though still a novice in baking, I managed to bake a small batch of cupcakes for the second anniversary since its Abhay’s favorite. But for Abhay, a cupcake without frosting is no cupcake at all! This time however I sought Abhay’s help to whip up some fresh cream for the cupcakes inspired by the hostess of  “I can cook”, a cookery show with kids on CBeebees, a BBC channel that was recently discontinued. Similarly, I had also read in last week’s issue of the Outlook magazine that, thanks to an explosion of modern gadgets, books, TV shows and activity clubs, urban kids are increasingly displaying an interest in baking and parents are encouraged to involve their kids in their kitchens. So I thought a special event on my blog deserved Abhay’s participation too and had him don a nice little apron and turn into my sous chef! So how was our cooking adventure together..you may ask? Hmmm…..Well, let’s just say that cooking or baking with a six year old seems a lot cooler on TV than it actually is in reality! For now, I have no dreams of making my son a Little Masterchef, though I must say he sure knows how to pose like one! J

The central theme being cupcakes, I had Abhay read “Cupcake Surprise”  by Lynn Maslen Kertell and illustrated by Sue Hendra, a Level 1 Reader from the famous Bob books publication that brought out one of the first Early readers. Its Dad’s birthday and Jack and Anna decide to bake him cupcakes. But they soon discover that their pantry is short of the ingredients as they head to the store for flour and also pick up cookies for the road. When they get home, they begin mixing all the ingredients with their puppy Buddy dropping the cookies into the mixing bowl, by accident. Nevertheless, they decide to go ahead with their plan and seek their mom’s help to put them inside the oven (Very important to have the adults help out!) Jack, Anna and Buddy watch the cupcakes bake that they can’t wait to taste! Finally, as Dad arrives, Jack and Anna give him the best birthday present ever - cupcakes!  Reading and writing  about cupcakes gets me in the mood to bake….of course this time I going to stick to baking solo!