Pick me up, buttercup

So it’s the time of the semester again, where assignments are aplenty and deadlines are looming nearer. It’s stressing times like this that calls for quick pick-me-ups… and cupcakes sure makes it all better!

It would be great if you can whip up cupcakes to call your own, but with little time to spare in the kitchen, using a pre-mix is totally forgivable! :D

The recipe is real simple and quick, and making them is effortless. Trust me when I say that it only takes a minute to cook! How does that work you ask?? Oh the wonders of the microwave oven!

Ingredients for cupcake:
2 cups of yellow cake mix
2 Tbsp butter, softened
½ cup water
1 egg

Frosting:
1 cup confectioners’ (icing) sugar
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp milk
food colour of choice

1. Simply mix cupcake ingredients to make up the batter.
2. Spoon into minicups about halfway full and pop in the microwave oven for 1 min.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting by creaming icing sugar, butter and vanilla essence. Add milk last and gradually, may need to add more to desired consistency.
4. Leave cupcakes cool before topping up with icing.

I separated the frosting into 3 batches to which I added different food colourings. To prevent from adding too much colour, use a toothpick to dip into the colouring and use this to mix it into the frosting.

With half of the batter remaining, I added in chocolate chips (get only the best!) and once cooked, topped them up with the chocolate buttercream frosting I made previously. You can do this if you find yourself with too much batter and icing at hand - store them in ziplocs and take them out whenever the need for cupcake calls!

chocolate cuppy cakes

And wala! Cupcakes that are a snap to make, and also quick to finish!

J.Coming to Singapore

J.Co Batam outlet after a raid by our fellow countrymen

Say what?? Another post on donuts? Homer Simpson would be so proud of me hehe. Don’t say you didn’t expect it, coz the latest low-down (or down-low.. whichever side of the earth you’re at)… J.Co Donuts has finally hit Singapore shores! Yup, all the way from Batam, ferry-ride and all. And you know how determined Singaporeans can be, especially with their food, when you see throngs of uncles and aunties in the ferry ride back to Singapore, with more bags of boxes of donuts they can carry. Now that J.Co has opened its first shop cum café at Raffles City basement, expect to see them there.

You might have read it in the papers, or like me, observe a sudden scene of bright orange boxes lugged in awfully large plastic bags (ever noticed and wondered why they all come in orange boxes?), certainly not from Batam (or some say JB).

This box made its way into my home

Anywho, with Breadtalk buying over J.Co Donuts, faster than you know, outlets have made its way into KL and Singapore. I was obviously unaware of this until I noticed passersby with boxes of assumingly donuts in Raffles City. And boy did they lure the curious cat to the shop of sin… sinfully good-looking donuts!! Hastily but discreetly, I trailed those orange boxes in the attempt to hunt down the donut trove.


I tell you, the café couldn’t be glowing with any more brilliance. Lo and behold, there it was, the J.Co I knew. Even glow-wier was me, as I beamed and smiled sheepishly just so darn pleased with what was before me. Picture the smile of the cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland, only wider. And before you know it, I was in line all ready to order! Dang you pretty donuts!

Yup this is the one!

Must... refrain... from queing....

Shoot it's too late.

No way out but to the cashier.. my pocket's doomed for sure. Some thing’s gotta give… maybe it’s the waistline, but definitely not your money! Good stuff does come in friendly price tags! For $7, half a dozen of donuts are yours to devour, but with 1 dozen you get away with only $11.50. Now that’s a good deal. And for 2 dozen to feed your big hungry family and next-door neighbours? A mere $21. Ok J.CO ain’t foolin me to get more than I can chew, literally. Maybe next week.

Although feeling rather deceived into queuing and ordering impulsively, all was forgiven because boy, I was in for a treat!! (What people do for donuts :I)


(from top left):

Why Nuts?: coz im nuts over you!! White chocolate with peanut butter filling.

Coco Loco: chocolate inside and out. If they could find another place to stuff in more chocolate, they would.

Black Jack: It's really chocolate with bread in it.

Tira-miss u: of course with cream filling inside.. dont wanna waste the space, now do they

Alcapone: Classic white chocolate with crispy almond slices

Snow white: Simple icing sugar, poisonous apple not included.

Curiosity killed the cat? It sure made this cat a tiny bit fatter! Clearly displayed donuts being dumped into the deep fryer for all to witness I thought, was a clever way of them to say, “Look, if you get all heavy and sluggy, it surely ain’t any of our bizz kapish? Heck yeah you know wht you're getting yourself into. So don’t go ard tryna sue our…” Ok so i get their point: not another "McDonalds and fat kids" episode. Onus on us to exercise control and responsibility over our health and well-being... ladida. Umm… maybe after sampling a couple of your donuts?

Well hello J.Co donuts!