My Step-Mum is a great cook, and as she is from the country (Coonalpyn), she never really cooks anything from a packet or a jar. In all the time I’ve known her slowly that’s started to filter through to me too (Michael does all the dinner cooking and I cook desserts and cakes from scratch).
She asked if I wanted to enter the Coonalpyn show this Saturday.. In the category “small cakes, iced”. A cupcake category! I was so in. 
Yesterday morning I was hard at work in the kitchen baking my two entries, when… the cupcakes rose too high. I was so upset! I thought maybe I’d done something wrong. I couldn’t use them for the show as they can’t be too high, just rounded at the top. There was no time to rebake so I went to work, and came home with some new butter and eggs and tried again. This time they were perfect!
Both entries were six cupcakes, and both chocolate cake bases. One entry had Oreo whipped cream and the biscuit (like my recipe) and the other had plain whipped cream with three Malteasers on top and a bit of chocolate dusting. I loaded them up into my container and took them around to my Dad’s ready for my Step-Mum to take in the morning.
Again this morning I was baking but for my sisters birthday! Today though I baked vanilla cupcakes with buttercream icing and a vanilla wafer, and chocolate Malteaser again but with one Malteaser this time instead of three.
Not long after I’d finished I got a message that I’d won first and second place with my entries at the show!
I am pretty chuffed, and excited – decorating with the large nozzle for the first time last night gave SPECTACULAR results so I am encouraged even though I started off badly yesterday. Thanks for all your messages on Facebook and Twitter congratulating me 
Monnie
P.S – If you’re in Adelaide and you love my cupcakes (or want to try them) you get to do that next month on November 22nd for Cupcake Camp Adelaide. Have a look at the website and get involved!
