May I Present: Bluefaced Leicester

I wish you could touch this yarn. It is one of those skeins you want to bury your face in it ; ) It is a Bluefaced Leicester fibre that I have dyed and handspun into a fluffy singles yarn. It has a very long staple length so you can work with a low twist without worrying about it falling apart. It also has a bit of a sheen.

I have been looking for the perfect pattern for it. It has to be something close to my face. Today’s favourite is the Ruffled and Ruched Scarf by Pam Powers. What do you think?

If you would like to find out more about this wonderful fibre and where it comes from I recommend this article on the International Fleeces website.

Chocolate Cupcakes

One could say I don’t “get” cupcakes. It seems to me cupcakes are all about the looks. Do you really enjoy eating a mountain of artificially dyed, overly sweet icing on top of an insubstantial small and again too sweet cake? Before you call the cupcake police I have to say in my defense that probably my German upbringing is to blame for my attitude: I’d rather eat something that looks plain, but tastes great.

Then again cupcakes have their advantage. They are quick to make and a great treat for kids. You can even pop one in a small containers and take it to school. That is why I have not given up on them and am very pleased that I came up with a recipe that received everyone’s approval.

As a side note and since I am already so opinionated today I can just go ahead and tell you about my hunt for vanilla. I don’t care for vanilla essence. The alcohol flavour is just too strong and does not work well for many recipes. For years I have used Dr. Oetker vanilla sugar, but that is an artificial flavour, which I am trying to avoid as well. So now I have gone back to the old-fashioned way and added a sliced open vanilla bean to a jar of sugar. It has a wonderful vanilla flavour. I use it to the rate of 2 Tbsp of Vanilla sugar for every 1 tsp vanilla essence and reduce the amount of regular sugar accordingly.

Chocolate Cupcakes

( makes about 30)

3/4 cup butter
3 eggs
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 Tbsp instant coffee
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sugar ( minus 4 Tbsp if using vanilla sugar)
2 tsp vanilla ( or 4 Tbsp vanilla sugar)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350 F/ 180 C

Combine flour, coffee, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
Add butter and sugar to another bowl, beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time then vanilla.
Add flour mixture and milk until just combined then add the chocolate chips.
Spoon batter into cups.
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes.

Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cups cocoa powder
2 – 3 Tbsp milk

Mix sugar and cocoa, add small amounts of milk. Stir until spreading consistency.

You can find this recipe as an easy to print pdf document here.