RSPCA Cupcake Day – Spotted Dog cupcakes

I adore the television show RSPCA Animal Rescue, it’s amazing to me how well or well cruelly people treat animals. And it’s not just dogs that feature on this show, one of my favourite segments were about a bat caught on overhead wire, who survived up there for days when him family lovingly carried him food to eat. The work they do is one well worth supporting and even though I can’t take in a stray animal due to living in an apartment, it’s good that we can support them other ways.

I had had ample warning about the RSPCA cupcake day, two months in fact. Nevertheless it took me until a week before to finally decide what sort of cupcake to make. I could’ve made any sort of flavour lets be honest, it’s the decoration that counts here but I did want to make something that vaguely harked to the issue at hand. Is making a chocolate cupcake perverse given that dogs can’t eat chocolate? It came to me while I was supposed to be thinking of something else as it always does. What better than a Spotted Dog cupcake? I’d base it on the black bottom cupcakes but make it not just the bottom but all round dotty or spotty.

I admit I lucked out when I bought these decorations from London. I could have made fondant faces but I had too much on this week to even contemplate it. Since I’m working from home this week, my sister in law kindly took these into her work to flog!

Spotted Dog cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

Beat the following ingredients in a bowl, stirring the chocolate chips in last:

  • 250g cream cheese
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 unbeaten egg
  • 100g white chocolate buttons

Mix in a separate bowl:

  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tbs. cocoa
  • 1 ½  teaspoons bi carb soda
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 1 ½  teaspoons white vinegar
  • 1/3 cups plus 3 tablespoons oil
  • 150g dark chocolate buttons

1. Fill paper lined muffin cups half full with chocolate batter. With a teaspoon dot the cream cheese mixture being careful not to fill more than 3/4 full.

2. Bake in the oven at 180 for 25 minutes.

Decorate with Chocolate ganache and animal sugar decorations

For Chocolate Ganache, melt 300g of milk and dark chocolate  (150g of each) and 1/2 cup of cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cool at room temperature until it reaches a piping consistency. Use a star tip nozzle (don’t use plain for this as the Spotted Dog reference will bring to mind an unattractive image of the icing-don’t make me spell it out! ;) ).

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13 Comments | Add your own

  • 1. the airy fairy | August 18, 2008 at 11:38 am | #

    these are adorable!!!! love the little decorations…i miss making my cupcakes…wah, wah, wah…but then again i did just get back from a great day at the beach. it’s all about compromise!

  • 2. Jobe | August 18, 2008 at 6:26 pm | #

    My housemates did this.

    We made 100 cupcakes, all yesterday.

    I never want to see another cupcake in my life.

  • 3. Maria | August 18, 2008 at 8:59 pm | #

    I could eat about 3 or 4 right now.. Mmmmm.

    Great job Lorraine! :)

    How much did they cost each if you don’t mind me asking?

  • 4. Maria T | August 18, 2008 at 10:49 pm | #

    The ribbon is adorable and the cupcakes look terrific! Happy RSPCA Cupcake day!

  • 5. snooky doodle | August 19, 2008 at 12:08 am | #

    wow how cute these little cupcakes. Its the thought that counts anyway. :-)

  • 6. grace | August 19, 2008 at 2:37 am | #

    good for you–this is a completely worthy cause! that’s an awesome cupcake recipe, and the little adornments on top are too cute. :)

  • 7. Y | August 19, 2008 at 9:13 am | #

    Great presentation! Love that dog themed ribbon too.

  • 8. tuulikki | August 19, 2008 at 6:18 pm | #

    Wonderful gesture NQN that you are caring for animals with your cute cupcakes

  • 9. Not Quite Nigella | August 19, 2008 at 11:17 pm | #

    Hi airy fairy-Thanks! :) Round about now I’d trade making cupcakes for a nice beach worthy day!

    Hi Jobe-Wow, 100 cupcakes? Great stuff! Although that would definitely put me off making them for a while :lol:

    Hi Maria-Thanks so much, the chocolate and cream cheese works really well together :) I’m not sure how much my sister in law charged them out at. I said anything from $2 to $5 depending on what she wanted to charge it at.

    Hi Maria-I bought the ribbon ages ago and never found a suitable occasion (well not knowing any dogs that have birthdays :lol: ) but I thought this fit! Happy RSPCA Cupcake day! :)

    Hi snooky doodle-Thanks so much! :)

    Hi grace-Thankyou! I was so excited when I heard about it. I only wish I had more time to do animal faces but *sigh* the decos were just begging to be used for this :lol:

    Hi Y-Thanks! I was trying to make them look as purty as possible so people would buy them :)

    Hi tuulikki-What better way to do it via cupcakes! :)

  • 10. Carolyn | August 20, 2008 at 3:53 pm | #

    Oh they are adorable! ;) Especially those cute animals!

  • 11. Aiyana | August 20, 2008 at 7:43 pm | #

    Hi,

    I had comments from my work colleagues saying Lorraines cupcakes were really cute & tasty. I let people pay what they wanted to donate between $2-$5 per cupcake. All together $40 was raised for RSPCA. I’m very pleased, I love animals & it’s a great cause.

  • 12. Not Quite Nigella | August 20, 2008 at 10:38 pm | #

    Hi Carolyn-Thanks so much! I didn’t make those cute animals but I also found them adorable :)

    Hi Aiyana-Thanks for taking them into your work! I sent off the money yesterday :)

  • 13. Tractor | June 27, 2009 at 2:02 pm | #

    Supporting RSPCA is supporting corruption. RSPCA have bullied government into giving them an act of parliament “Animal Care and Protection Act 2001 Qld” Police powers without supervision. Google “stanford prison experiment” to learn why RSPCA have gone rogue. Then google “rspca corruption” or “rspca poodles” or “ruth downey” to learn how rogue RSPCA have gone.
    RSPCA have the power to make people pay big time. fines + legal fees of over $300,000 – RSPCA can take everything a person has.

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