Dear Bread Lord,

I come to you with utmost submission. My respect for you knows no bounds.

You wield the power to make things froth and bubble and rise.
I made the mistake of not asking for your blessing the first time around, and I paid for that dearly.

Tonight as I dance the sacred dance with flour and yeast and warm water, I pray your watchful eye will be on me, and you will guide me.

Please make the yeast froth.
Please make the dough rise.
This is my humble request.

I hear you do not care for animal sacrifices.
So I bring you this small offering of pineapple cupcakes.

(See how fluffy they are? The Cupcake Queen has been most kind to me. You could call her for a reference.)

Yours respectfully,
A traumatised 2nd time attempter of bread making

PS- I’ll be baking at 8pm tonight. Incase you need to put me down in your schedule.

Pineapple and cream cupcakes

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 22-25 mins
Makes: 24

Ingredients:

220 g plain flour, sifted
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
175 ml buttermilk
3 large eggs
120 ml oil (I used Canola, but any vegetable oil will do)
1 tsp vanilla essence
250 g castor sugar
200 g fresh pineapple, chopped up into smallish pieces, juice retained

For the cream frosting

200 ml heavy cream
50 g icing sugar
drop of vanilla essence

Method:

For the cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 160º C. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.
2. In another bowl mix the buttermilk, eggs, oil and vanilla. Add the sugar and pineapple bits (with the juices) and stir well.
3. Make a well in the centre of the flour mix and pour in the wet mixture. Combine everything well. The mixture will be slightly more runny than usual. Don’t worry about this.
4. Line two 12-holed cupcake trays with paper liners and fill each about two-thirds full with the batter. Pop in the oven for about 22 minutes or until risen and fluffy. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

For the cream frosting

1. Chill the bowl you will use to make the frosting for about 10 minutes. Once cold, put the cream in and beat with a hand mixer till you have soft peaks.
2. Add the sugar and vanilla, and beat again for a few minutes. Once the cupcakes cool completely, spoon some over each one.