Valentine's Day cupcakes

Valentine's day - love, flowers, and of course, chocolate. I was going to have a little party with some friends but unfortunately came down with some mysterious illness yesterday, so had to cancel. But I'm still going to make the cupcakes. Just for me and Max. And maybe we'll share with Aaron. :)

This is my adaptation on the all-time favourite wacky cake recipe. It's sooooo easy, moist, and yummy. I have changed it a bit to make it mini-cupcakes, lowering the cooking time and adding a bit of a different flavour twist by using pure almond extract instead of vanilla. (note of warning. My husband, who likes things "the way they should be" didn't like the almond flavour. So use vanilla if you are married to that kind of person.) Usually I like to make cream cheese icing but don't have any cream cheese here today. So plain old buttercream it is. Failproof. I added some raspberry jam to give it that valentine's pink - yummy! (I am not a fan of food colouring.)


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (or, use half whole wheat and half all purpose.)
1 cup organic cane sugar (I always use it in place of white. But use white if you must.)
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
A few shakes of salt
1 tsp pure almond extract
1 tablespoon vinegar
6 1/2 tablespoons oil (vegetable or canola)
1 1/4 cup lukewarm water

Icing:
1/4 cup butter, soft (not melted. leave it out all day till it's SOFT.)
2(ish) cups powdered icing sugar
1 tablespoon whipping cream or milk
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
1 tablespoon raspberry jam

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all dry ingredients for cupcakes in a big bowl. Make three little wells in the ingredients, pour the almond extract in one, the vinegar in another and the oil in the third. Pour water over all of it. Mix thoroughly, pour into mini-cupcake trays lines with liners. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.

Whip together icing ingredients. Ice cupcakes once they have been cooled.
Pictures to follow.                                                                                                   julie