Red Velvet and Tea....

Here is a lovely recipe for Red Velvet Cupcakes allegedly made famous from featuring in the 1989 film Steel Magnolias!! They are totally moreish and delicious:

125g butter

165g caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

185 g self raising flour

25g cocoa powder

125ml buttermilk

2 teaspoons red food colouring

Preheat oven to 160 c. Beat butter and sugar until really light and fluffy and then add eggs and beat well. Add flour cocoa powder, buttermilk and food colouring and beat until just combined. Spoon into 12 muffin cases and bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack...

Cream cheese frosting :-

250g cream cheese ( philadelphia is good)

50g softened butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

80g icing sugar mix

Beat cream cheese, vanilla and butter until pale and creamy then add icing sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Spread on cupcakes with a palette knife ....

and enjoy with a nice cup of tea - preferably Assam tea and especially when drunk out of a beautiful vintage cup and saucer like this one - so pretty and lady-like... I always think tea tastes so much better when served from a china cup and even for every day it tastes good from a china mug. What better way to enjoy and hour or so ...

It is no wonder that tea ia a national institution in Britain - everything seems right with the world after a brew and it is a cure for many troubled minds - giving one time to contemplate while sipping the delicate golden nectar!!

ENJOY!!