Today (14th April) marks the 7 year anniversary of my arrival in London. This year the weather has replicated the lovely summer we had the year I landed. At the time however, I was hoping for an escape from the heat of Brisbane and I never really appreciated how lovely it actually was at the time.
I still remember my first day in London; it was 24 degrees and we sat in Regents Park with our Tesco picnic and I wondered why so many people had their clothes off... Do they not care about skin cancer and the hole in the ozone layer?? Anyway 7 years is a long time and at times, it feels like it's flown by and other times it does feel like an eternity. I had a moment the other weekend when I saw an old friend and we realised it had been 5 years since we’d seen each other. It was strange to think that since I only ever planned staying for 2 years, the fact I hadn't physically seen someone in 5 years was bizarre.
Yesterday the weather man was predicting good weather and as a result I had managed to pre-plan a ploughman’s picnic to take to Hyde Park for my friends and we enjoyed the sun for a few hours (all with our shirts on though).
Looking forward to the next 7 years!
Strawberry and Cream (cheese) Cupcakes
Makes 12
Ingredients
150g unsalted butter, softened
150g caster sugar
175g self-raising flour
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12tsp strawberry jam
Icing
300g icing sugar
50g unsalted butter, softened
125g cream cheese, cold
Mix all the ingredients (except the jam) together with beaters.
Cook in an oven at 180°C for 18-20 minutes.
Try not open the oven to check till about 18 mins is up - they should be slightly brown on top and check with a skewer.
Leave to cool and prepare the icing.
To make the icing, beat together the icing sugar and butter. Take cream cheese out of the fridge and add all in one go. Beat for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
When the cupcakes are cooled, use an apple corer to remove the middle of the cupcake and fill with a teaspoon of jam. Replace the middle and then they are ready to be iced.
Top with a Strawberry Haribo and enjoy with a cup of tea for the full English experience.
Happy 7 Years to me!
Happy Baking x
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