I always have a lot of questions about accommodati I always have a lot of questions about accommodation when we stay anywhere as a family so I thought I’d share this little tour of our room at @windjammerlanding which was a pretty perfect place to stay.

It’s the ‘Ocean View Two Bedroom’ which was like a little house, with an upstairs and downstairs, built into the hillside. Both rooms had outdoor space and their own shower rooms. Such a great option for a family.
A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. We’ve been back a few days now but still miss the heat, the food, the pool, the constant sounds of wildlife and the lovely people. It was such a great holiday and I’m sure we’ll be back one day.
And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is watching her grow and what a wonderful young woman she is becoming. We could not be more proud. Love you Pickle, have a great birthday.
We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in S We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in St Lucia staying at @windjammerlanding and it was just the holiday we needed. Two weeks of sunshine and relaxation in what must be one of the most beautiful islands in the world. 

We can’t wait to go back again in the future. Here’s just a little snippet of our trip.
AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @na AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @national_motor_museum despite the rain! The children loved the Little Beaulieu play area and we loved exploring the National Motor Museum and Top Gear exhibit before having a ride on the monorail! We went on an old open topped bus, explored the Beaulieu Manor House and loved the gardens. 
Beaulieu is always a great day out - whatever the weather. This summer they have a whole ‘Summer of Fun’ planned, with activities most days - parades, bird shows and hundreds of sculptures within the grounds too. If you’re looking for a day out this summer definitely think about heading to Beaulieu.
AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to t AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to their first concert - but it was so much more than just a concert! @abbavoyage is incredible. With CGI ABBA and a live band, it’s like being at an ABBA concert 40 years ago but with modern lighting, effects and sound. ABBA look and sound real, it’s a mind blowing experience.
The set includes all the songs you know and love as well as a few less familiar ones.
You can’t take photos during the show which actually made a refreshing change. A whole arena focused purely on the show and soaking up the moment. It’s definitely something the four of us will always remember.
Now, I’m off to sing Dancing Queen all the way home.
AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdo AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdockyard today. They have a fantastic Ultimate Explorer ticket that lets you visit all the attractions as many times as you like for 12 months - and after a day at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard we can see that you need more than one day to really do everything!

We explored HMS Warrior, HMS Victory and the Mary Rose Exhibition - which is incredible! We also saw where ships are built and restored and spent time in Action Stations where the kids climbed and did an assault course.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is such a fun, educational day out with something for all ages - we can’t wait to go on their harbour tours next time we visit!
AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To cel AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To celebrate #100YearOfARoads National Highways have launched their #ARoadsToSummer competition! It's all about celebrating summer holiday moments, time together, fun in the sun, days out and more.

So why not be in it to win it? To enter, all you have to do is send @nationalhways a DM on here with a photo or video of your favourite holiday moments. You can also comment on their Facebook or Twitter #ARoadsToSummer posts with your holiday photos. I've shared a few of our favourite photos to give you some inspiration.

The best six entries will each win a £500 @nationaltrust holidays voucher! SO what are you waiting for? Dig out your favourite holiday photos or take some new ones to share!

The #ARoadsToSummer competition runs from 24 July to 10 September 2023. Winners will be announced in September 2023.

Good luck!
Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. As school draws to a close at lunchtime, I’m looking forward to a whole summer with them. My favourite people.

They’ve both had a great year at school this year. Troy’s first without his sister by his side and Athena’s first at secondary school. 

They both had great reports, always did their best and have made some really lovely new friends this year. I could not be more proud of them.

Now, let’s go and enjoy the next six weeks before school starts all over again!
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Baking Recipes, Recipes · May 30, 2022

How to Make Perfect Cupcakes Every Time

This post contains affiliate links and I may receive commission if you visit a link and buy something. Purchasing via an affiliate link doesn’t cost you any extra, and I only recommend products and services I trust.

I wrote previously about how I was determined to practice cupcake making in time for Little Man’s Birthday and now that has been and gone I thought I would write about how the cupcake practice went. It was the dream to make perfect vanilla cupcakes for his birthday!

How to Make Perfect Cupcakes Every Time

How to make cupcakes for kids?

I tried a few recipes in my search for the perfect cupcakes recipe but none turned out very well – they either didn’t rise very much or they didn’t have the right texture to them, they’d sink in the middle or they’d be overcooked.

Many vanilla cupcakes recipes include sour cream in the ingredients and I wanted to create cupcakes using things that most people would have in the house, without them having to try and think of something to substitute sour cream!

On the last post I wrote my friend Sarah from Toby Goes Bananas commented with her cupcake baking tips – a recipe that she used, a recipe that doesn’t even need a recipe once you’ve got into the swing of baking cupcakes. Here’s her comment:

How to Make Perfect Cupcakes Every Time

From there I put together the following easy recipe and have now baked using it a few times and the cupcakes turn out perfectly every time. The cupcakes rise and are light and fluffy. A huge thanks to Sarah for pointing me in the right direction. I know this vanilla cupcake recipe will now be used constantly.

How to Make Perfect Cupcakes Every Time

Why do my cupcakes sink in the middle?

I am not a guru when it comes to baking so I don’t know all the answers when it comes to sunken cupcakes. I just find something that works and stick to it. But, I’ve found for me, self raising flour works better than plain flour and leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda.

Also, expired baking powder or baking powder can make cakes sink in the middle too. Thankfully, cupcakes sinking doesn’t happen as often for me any more – and there really is nothing worse than a sunken cake.

It also usually helps to make sure the oven temperature is right before putting the cakes in and not touching the oven door whilst they’re baking. Over mixing the cake batter can also cause flatter cupcakes, stop the cake rise and cause the cake sink.

How to make the perfect cupcakes

As a guide, six eggs makes about 26 vanilla cupcakes for me, so three eggs should make a nice baker’s dozen. You can also easily make chocolate cupcakes by taking out some of the flour and substituting with natural cocoa powder if you wanted. Chocolate cake definitely makes a great alternative at times!

How do I decorate these common cupcakes?

These unfrosted cupcakes are lovely plain or you can decorate them if you want to. Frosted cupcakes are wonderful – with either a swirl of vanilla buttercream, chocolate buttercream frosting, cream cheese frosting or just a coating of royal icing. You can dab icing on the top and cover with any kind of cake sprinkles you fancy. The choice is yours! You can tell I’m not the best at cake decorating – I usually just let the kids do it!

There really is nothing quite like home made cupcakes – and they keep well in an airtight container for a few days too so you will never need other cupcake recipes to bake cupcakes! Happy Baking!

If you’re looking for other cupcakes recipes to try here’s our Carrot Cake Fairy Cakes, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cherry Bakewell Cupcakes and Lemon Bakewell Tarts. You can see all our recipes to date here including so many slow cooker recipes too. 

What equipment do you need to make these little cupcakes?

You will no doubt have most of the equipment you need for making cupcakes with this perfect cupcake recipe at home already but, in case it helps, here are the things we use to bake these cakes at home:

  • A 12 hole muffin tin
  • Paper cake cases
  • A mixing bowl
  • Scales
  • A wooden spoon
  • Measuring spoons
  • A wire rack

These are pretty much staples for baking in any home kitchen and once you have them you won’t need to replace them often. This is literally everything you need to make this super simple vanilla cake recipe. 

So here’s our perfect cup cake recipe:

Ingredients

  • eggs
  • unsalted butter at room temperature
  • caster sugar
  • self raising flour
  • vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4
  • Line a muffin pan with paper cases
  • Break the eggs into a large bowl and weigh them
  • Add the same weight of room temperature butter, caster sugar and self raising flour
  • Add 1tsp of vanilla extract – I use 1tsp of vanilla for every 3 eggs
  • Mix well by hand or with a stand mixer
  • Spoon the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners – I use a portioning spoon or ice cream scoop
  • Bake for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned
  • Leave to cool completely
  • Decorate however you like – with buttercream frosting, icing or plain!

As a guide, six eggs makes about 26 cupcakes for me, so three eggs should make a nice baker’s dozen. Happy Baking!

If you’d like to print or pin this recipe for later you can do so at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

Print Pin

How to Make Perfect Cupcakes Every Time

a recipe that doesn’t even need a recipe once you’ve done it a couple of times
Course Afternoon Tea, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine British
Keyword baking, cake
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes minutes
Total Time 28 minutes minutes
Servings 26 cupcakes

Ingredients

  • eggs
  • butter
  • caster sugar
  • self raising flour
  • vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4
  • Line a muffin tin with paper cases
  • Break the eggs into a bowl and weigh them
  • Add the same weight of butter, caster sugar and self raising flour
  • Add 1tsp of vanilla extract – I use 1tsp of vanilla for every 3 eggs
  • Mix well and spoon into the paper cases
  • Bake for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned

Notes

As a guide, six eggs makes about 26 cupcakes for me, so three eggs should make a nice baker’s dozen. Happy Baking!

*Note: Nutritional information is estimated, based on publicly available data. Nutrient values may vary from those published.

How to Make Perfect Cupcakes Every Time

In: Baking Recipes, Recipes

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Comments

  1. Kim Carberry says

    May 30, 2015 at 8:33 pm

    They do look perfect well done you! I have got the hang of making cupcakes it’s cookies I can’t master 🙂 x

    Reply
  2. Sarah says

    June 1, 2015 at 8:40 pm

    Yay! Glad my recipe worked for you – it’s so easy once you know it, and no remembering quantities either!

    Reply
  3. Thapelo Cincela says

    May 2, 2022 at 9:03 pm

    Your recipe really worked for me
    I would really want to learn more from your recipes
    I love it
    Thank you

    Reply
  4. Donna Peck says

    May 6, 2022 at 7:10 pm

    These were perfect. Rose well and tasted delicious.

    Reply

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Hi everyone! I'm Donna. Mummy. Blogger. Social Media Manager. Traveller. Lover of stars, rainbows and gin. Firm believer that tea and cake can fix most things.

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