A Firecracker of a Cupcake

It's Guy Fawkes Night! I wore my best sparkly top to work in honour of the day, with its evening promises of joyous, wonderful and magical fireworks going off in all directions.

As well as being Guy Fawkes Night (or Bonfire Night), today is also the birthday of one of my dear friends. All her recent time has been occupied with pulling together a portfolio for a big, impressive professional qualification, which she was submitting today. So, figuring that baking a birthday cake would be the last thing on her mind as she applied the finishing touches last night, I took it upon myself to bake one for her... or rather, a series of wee cupcakes.

But I couldn't overlook the fact that it was also Guy Fawkes as well, so I attempted to give them a fireworky look, with edible glitter and pearly things.

Not being sure what her favourite type of cake was, I just went with chocolate cake. Everyone likes chocolate cake, right? And the recipe (found on BBC Good Food and reproduced below) was dead easy. It was the beautifying of the cupcakes that was the most taxing, as I vainly attempted to make convincing starbursts...

Ingredients:

200g butter

200g plain chocolate (up to 70% cocoa solids)

200g light, soft brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

250g self-raising flour

For icing:

200g plain chocolate

100ml double-cream (I used extra thick double-cream...) 

50g icing sugar 

Method:

Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan and line a muffin tin with cupcake cases. Gently melt the butter, chocolate, sugar and 100ml hot water together in a saucepan, stirring occasionally, then set aside to cool a little while you weigh the other ingredients.

Stir the eggs and vanilla extract into the chocolate mixture. Put the flour into a large mixing bowl, then stir in the chocolate mixture until smooth. Spoon into cases until just over three-quarters full, then set aside for 5 minutes before putting on a low shelf in the overn and baking for 20-22 minutes.

For the icing, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Once melted, turn off the heat, stir in the cream and sift in the icing sugar. 

Happy Bonfire Night! Hope everyone in the UK has a lovely night, celebrating and enjoying it in whatever way you choose. And I encourage everyone else around the world, wherever you are, to twirl a sparkler or bake some sparkly cakes, in your own personal celebration of early November.

Remember, Remember, Plop the Owl

My soundtrack this evening is fireworks bursting, popping, fizzing, whizzing, exploding and rumbling from north, south, east and west, near and far. Oh, I absolutely adore Guy Fawkes Night.

Image source

Living in a wee, tiny flat in the middle of London, I don't really have the option of having a celebratory party in my garden but I can enjoy the fun of unexpected bursts coming from all around me, occasionally catching a glimpse of a shower of stars in between buildings.

Image source

My best Guy Fawkes Night was when I found myself staying out with relatives down near the south coast in a wee village. A massive, massive bonfire was lit in a nearby field and random fireworks went off all evening in the wonderful, still air of the countryside. Every year I think about reprising that night with a trip out to the countryside to partake in a local village bonfire night, but it never seems to eventuate. 

Image source

So, instead I enjoy the sounds of an old tradition in the big, modern city of London which is, in itself, admittedly rather lovely. 

Image source

Guy Fawkes always reminds me of that favourite childhood book too, The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark. Does anyone else know this book? It tells the story of Plop the baby barn owl, who is, as the title suggests, afraid of the dark. He is forced out of the nest to face his fears, and goes on adventures, meeting people and hearing about all the wonderful things the dark can be. The chapter, "Dark is Exciting" is set on Bonfire Night and Plop meets a young boy who is looking forward to the fireworks. In other chapters, Plop discovers that dark is kind, fun, necessary, fascinating, wonderful and beautiful.

Image source

So perhaps my love of both Guy Fawkes Night and owls can partly be attributed to this one book? In any case, my friend Barnaby and I decided to do a wee, impromptu photo shoot inspired by the book in celebration of Guy Fawkes Night. (Note my seasonally appropriate scarf...)

Barnaby and I meet and he begins to tell me his story

I'm shocked to hear that an owl could possibly be afraid of the dark!

And saddened to hear how difficult it is for him.

I convince Barnaby to watch the fireworks with me, and he timidly peeks out as I hold
his wing tight...
Perhaps the dark isn't so bad after all?