Hi Nibblers!

           When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. It’s been a tough month since I last posted with the passing of my Grandma. She was battling lung cancer for almost two years. She was never a smoker which made her illness difficult to accept. My Grandma was always so loving and caring. She just took things as they came and willing to help those in need even if it made things a little more difficult for her.

            My most fondest memory of my grandma was when she was recovering after a lung surgery in hospital. She was not able to speak a word of english nor understood what anyone said but she would happily parade to other patient’s beds beside her, telling them about her life – all in Vietnamese. I would giggle every time she did so. She didn’t care that they didn’t understand her. She just continued on her day with no care. She hugged the nurses and thanked them when she was discharged. Offered them fruit as they were passing by and never complained as they attended to her observations. She tolerated pain well but it was heartbreaking to watch. Her hands painted with bruises from missed cannulas but she shrugged them off as her motivation to live outweighed the rest.
           I would be lying if I said that looking after my Grandma in hospital wasn’t tiring. It was extremely exhausting and emotionally draining. As her cancer progressed, her symptoms worsened. She was unable to eat, confused and lost her quality of life. It definitely took its toll on the family. But, I don’t want to replay those melancholy memories anymore. I want to remember my Grandma smiling. I want to remember the amazing things my Grandma did to build a new life in a foreign land despite a war. I want to remember her babysitting me as a toddler and how I used to hide under tables and have her look everywhere for me. I am so lucky I had the chance to see my Grandma through the ups and lows. Looking back, as weary as I may have been, it has been such a great privilege to look after my Grandma and I am forever grateful for the love I have experienced knowing her. This recipe was the last experiment I was able to share with my Grandma. She may not have had the strength to eat them but I’m glad she at least had the chance to see them.

How To: Apple and Custard Buttercream Cupcakes
Makes approx. 12 medium sized cupcakes

What you’ll need:
Apple Cupcakes:
– 2 medium apples (peeled and diced into rough 0.5cm cubes)
– 170g self raising flour
– 1/4 cup of milk
– 1 Tbs. cinnamon
– 2 eggs
– 125mL oil
– 90g brown sugar
Custard Buttercream:
– 500g unsalted butter (room temperature)
– 1 tsp. vanilla essence
– 4 tsp. instant custard powder
– 2 Tbs. warm milk
– 200g icing sugar (sifted)

How To:
Apple Cupcakes
1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Line cupcake tin with patty tin liners then set aside
3. Mix flour, sugar and cinnamon in bowl then set aside
4. Beat oil, milk and eggs together until combined
5. Form a well in the middle of dry ingredients then add wet ingredients and stir until well combined
6. Fold apples through 
7. Evenly divide batter into cupcake tin
8. Pop into the oven for 16 minutes then set aside to cool – remember to check if they’re cooked by inserting a skewer to ensure no batter sticks to it!
Custard Buttercream:
1. Beat butter on high for approximately 5 minutes until butter turns from yellow to off white tone
2. In a seperate bowl, combine warm milk with custard powder and mix until dissolved
3. Add custard/milk mixture, vanilla essence and icing sugar to butter and mix until well combined – approximately 6 minutes until light and fluffy
4. Once cupcakes are cooled, decorate as desired! – Enjoy!

         I hope you enjoyed this recipe! These cupcakes turned out exactly how I envisioned them and I couldn’t be happier with the taste. They were moist, creamy with a lovely tart crunch from the apples. Thank you Nibblers for your continued support! Stay tuned for more recipes to come!