As I was embarking on an enormous baking day – six cakes, three slices and 240 corners of savoury toast – 10-year old-Tiani dashed in and breathlessly asked in wonderment if she could stir the melted chocolate and butter mixture into the sifted flour and sugar mixture for her favourite cake. 

I said no.

I actually heard myself explain aloud that stirring in the liquid chocolate was the best bit and I’d been really looking forward to it.

Yes, I honestly, truly, didn’t let this darling girl, stir the wet ingredients into the dry. 

Oh, the shame. 

In my defence, it was a six tea-towel day, and no one in the family, at any stage, offered to wash a single dish for me throughout – not even the quarter cup. 

The guilt was too much for me though.

So within two days of that fateful event, when my youngest child mentioned her earnest wish to bake, I put aside all other work.

I then strapped on my apron and filled the sink with hot soapy water.   

With enormous excitement, as she measured out the ingredients for her first ever solo batch of cupcakes, Tiani was heard to exclaim: 

“When I grow-up, I will make cupcakes for my kids to take to school every day.” 

As she strained her arm muscles sifting the flours, she pronounced her desire to open a cupcake shop in future. 

While the mix master did its part of the job, Tiani reminisced about the cupcake scene in Despicable Me II.

As she watched them rise, she sang her cupcake song to the tune of La Cucaracha. 

“I’ve got the cupcakes, I’ve got the cupcakes, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.” 

While the wee cakes cooled, my mini-me supposed: 

“It’s not really about how messy they look, it’s about how good they taste.”

Which lead nicely to the icing phase!

 Four different colours – lots more dishes. 

Nineteen glorious cupcakes were created that day. 

Two of which went down very nicely with the hot cup of tea and little lay down I needed after such an intense two and half hour session.   

Happy back to school week everyone!

Yolande Grosser