cupcakes to chase the blues away

been over a year since i last met adam, on a cold winter morning last january. my butt was freezing but my heart was warm. it has been a year and i never knew i could go on this long...

time can be kind when you're counting the weeks and years pass together, but swift-handed and cruel when you're watching the days float away since you last saw each other.

i took that picture last year while i was visiting adam during one of the rare occassions when he actually had the time to go for walks with me. it was silly to be walking out in the cold, but we did not have much time together and every hour we got to spend together was magical and meaningful, and the cold was something we could bear, before of course having him laugh at seeing me freezing and before running into one of the nearby stores for some warmth. i miss those times with him. today somehow the pain at missing him feels an awful lot more, gets unbearable at times, that i wish i can turn the days, the hours, the minutes... just so that i can have that one day to spend with him.

well maybe it is a good day to take myself off from my research work which i have been struggling to concentrate on and retreat into the kitchen to find some sanctuary there. maybe it is the day to try and make some good nutella cupcakes that i have been meaning to try out for some time. maybe it will add some life into this heart of mine and give me happiness to have my boys enjoy some little sweetness i can give, and maybe it will be able to tuck away the sadness and loneliness in the far corner of my heart.


cupcakes with magical nutella buttercream frosting

choc cupcakes ( u can use any cupcake recipe u find good, choc or vanilla) 
makes 15-16

1/2 cup butter, room temp
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla

preheat the oven to 350F / 177C

in a mixing bowl, beat with butter until softened and smooth. add sugar and beat for a few minutes, until light and fluffy. add eggs one at a time, beating after each until well combined.

in a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. in a separate small bowl, combine milk and vanilla.

add about 1/3 of dry ingredients to butter and sugar and mix until well combined. add about 1/2 of wet ingredients to mixture and mix until combined. continue alternating dry and wet and mix until combined. continue alternating dry and wet, mixing in between, and finish with remaining dry ingredients.

fill cupcake tins/ cups about 1/2 full (do not overfill). bake around 20-25 minutes.

** if u want just nutella butter cream swirled on top of your cupcake, try this:
nutella buttercream

1/2 cup butter, room temp
1 cup nutella
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1-2 tbsp milk

beat butter until smooth. add nutella and beat together until throughly combined. slowly add powdered sugar, mixing until combined. add 1 tbsp of milk. add additional milk or powdered sugar as needed to reach desired consistency.

**if u prefer what i prefer, some nutella in the cupcake and some frosting on top, here's
the magical nutella buttercream frosting
enough for 24 cupcakes

2 sticks (227gms) unsalted butter, softened
1 13oz jar of nutella
pinch of fine grain sea salt (or fine salt)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 pounds (3-4 cups) confectioners/ powdered sugar, sifted
6-8 tbsps heavy cream/ milk

in a large mixing bowl, cream butter  and nutella until well combined. slowly add in confectioners sugarand continue creaming until well blended.

add salt, vanilla, and 3 tbsps of heavy cream or milk. blend on low speed until moistened. add an additional of 3-5 tbsps of heavy cream or milk until reach desired consistency. beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

the magical part: hollow out small center of cupcake, pipe in nutella ( i use my watermelon scoop). top with buttercream and a piece of chocolate hazelnut candybar (if u can find any or replace it with hazelnut mini wafer bar).


let's eat some cupcakes to chase the blues away...