Mothering Sunday

It's Mother's Day soon, for British readers anyway, and who else is more worthy of some delicious cupcakes than the special lady who fed you Calpol when you were poorly and kissed all those grazed knees better?!

Here are some ideas:

This reminds me of the, perhaps slightly over-used, I ♥ NY t-shirts, but New York is cool, and the only thing I know which is cooler than NY is my mum (and yours)...so these are pretty apt! From Cupcake Decorating Ideas

If your mum is the classic Brie-from-Desperate-Housewives-Martha-Stewart-without-the-imprisonment type, these are perfection! I love the idea of having the design running over several cupcakes instead of being confined to just one tiny canvas. By Cupcakekasih

Bakerella just never gets it wrong! Serve this cupcake to a delighted young-at-heart mum on mother's day.

These are very pretty and very Cath Kidston. Sometimes a lot of decoration can take away from cupcakes looking edible, let alone delicious, but that icing looks very tempting!

More ideas coming soon!

♥

Epicuuuute

My lovely friend Kez (who also works at the bakery I work at...my nickname is Kaz...how confusing is that?!) showed me this blog, EpiCute, and I posted it on here right away!

Get ready for a cute and pink overload!

Caramel Cupcakes

I got this nice surprise in my inbox today in my StumpleUpon recommended cooking site email.

I love caramel. So much so that love is the only word I can use. Nothing else can describe my feelings towards caramel.

If you share similar feelings towards this sugary confection, have a go at making these caramel cupcakes from the Piece of Cake blog.

Valentine's meal ideas - Meat Lovers

A meat lover's starter. This is a light way to start a Valentine's meal. There's nothing worse than feeling stuffed by the first course on a date!

Parma ham and melon salad

Valentine's meal ideas - Vegetarian Starter

Valentine's Day can be a chore. There's the pressure of letting your loved one know you care without looking clingy and insane. You have to buy a meaningful present, while steering clear of anything either fluffy or stuffed. Or both.

Cooking dinner together, or ,if one of you lacks basic culinary skill, cooking for your partner can be the perfect way to spend time together and feel close on Valentine's Day.

Cake and Saucer is here to help cater to every palette so the big day runs smoothly.

Today's recipe - Vegetarian Starter

Valentine's cupcakes

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you my Valentine's Day post! It's just a few days away now, but there's still time for all of you romantics out there to prepare.

I've picked a selection of photos that show the endless ideas to impress your Valentine with. There's something for everyone, from cute pink fairy cakes to utterly sinful chocolate cupcakes.

Valentine's Day is one of those occasions where making something yourself, however unsuccessful it is, is truly appreciated. So this year, take inspiration from these amazing cakes and have a go at making something beautiful for your loved one!

My Sweet and Saucy

These cupcakes by My Sweet and Saucy are simply stunning. They manage to be detailed and intricate yet elegant at the same time. If you're feeling brave, here is the tutorial on how to make them. They are by far my favourite.

Kumquat Cupcakery

These pretty cupcakes are perfect for those who prefer a more subtle approach to celebrating Valentine's Day. These mini-cupcakes are from Kumquat Cupcakery in NYC.

If you really want to go alternative this Sunday, they also sell maple bacon mini cupcakes!

Tortentante

Sometimes, you just need to let your partner know...

By Tortentante

Abbietabbie

Abbietabbie is a lady I found on flickr who describes herself as someone "who makes cakes as a hobby", which goes to show you don't have to own a bakery to put a lot of effort into what you do! Her other cakes are very impressive, but I love how simply and effective these are.

Breeleed

Breeleed made these beautifully iced cupcakes for her grandma, which reminds me of when my mum used to send cards to my brother and I pretending they were from secret admirers.

Mirabelle

If you are secretly admiring someone and feel it's time to let them know, just say the words Belgian white chocolate ivy leaves on a ganache glazed chocolate cake and watch them fall in love with you. You can thank me with an invite to your wedding.

Tasquah

Red Velvet cupcake filled with Barvarian cream and frosted with cream cheese, butter cream and topped with chocolate swirls and a dark chocolate dove heart...

This cupcake makes me want to hyperventilate...

Taking the big step of sharing these with someone definitely shows you love them.

Here's some more inspiration that Blogger won't let me share...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebleedingheartbakery/4284503761/in/set-72157623235332164/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pastrychef_gaby/3679336257/

Wedding proposal

This is too adorable!

Read about how a man proposed to his cake-loving girlfriend.

This also ties in with how soppy I am and therefore how much I enjoyed reading people's comments on LoveGivesMeHope.

Just to clarify, I'm not an old spinster longing for a marriage proposal whilst feeding my 200 cats. I'm just a hopeless romantic. Honest!

Come back soon for my Valentines cupcake post that I've been raving about on here! It will come, just after I have finished my NCTJ exams. (Shorthand on Friday, wish me luck!)

Lola's Apple Pie

There's something very homely about deserts with apples in. Apple always seem to be a key ingredient in what someone's Grandmother makes and their whole family loves. Apply pie, apple crumble, apple strudel are all family favourites that excited friends have told me about.

So, I had to share this recipe for Lola's Apple Pie that I found on Foodbuzz. It would be wonderful to think that something I posted on here would one day be a family's favourite Sunday lunch treat!

It looks like proper winter comfort food and altogether rather scrumptious! I'm also enjoying the presence of a cheeky single walnut on top too.

Happy cooking!