“Oh look at that cat!” I said to my sister one day. We were outside in our front garden and I was about seven and she was six years old and as owners of goldfish, we desperately wanted a cat or dog.
Ignoring any superstitions that black cats should never cross our paths we cajoled him towards us.
“Heeere kitty kitty…” we beckoned, our fingers curling over.
Miraculously, he moved towards us with the confidence and sway of a catwalk model. I pulled off a corner of the sandwich I was eating and placed it in my palm. He ate it off my hand. It tickled unexpectedly and for the first time I felt how sandpapery a cat’s tongue was. I pulled off more and he ate more until my sandwich was gone. We played with him for a few hours until my mother called the familiar dinner time call of “Makaaaaan!”
“Mummy, a cat wants to stay for dinner!” we called to my mother. “He’s hungry” we pleaded.
“Don’t be silly” she said and ushered us inside for dinner. Halfway during dinner we heard a plaintive meow coming from the other side of the screen door. His eyes glowed green and he sat there meowing loudly and insistently. Still, he was not allowed inside and as soon as we finished eating, we ran outside and played with him until it was time for bed.
The next day he was back. Curious at this startlingly beautiful and well groomed itinerant, I looked at his collar. “His name is Sabu and there’s a phone number for him” I told my mother and sister. He surely wove his way into our lives -being undeniably social, gracious and beautiful, he walked into our house as if it were his and purred, ate and slept inside. That day, my mother rang the number on Sabu’s collar and there was no answer. She tried again every day at different times -this was before the age of answering machines- and it would always ring out. My sister and I were excited. We finally had a cat! A beautiful long necked pure black cat with glowing green eyes called Sabu. “Maybe the owners have gone away and left him behind!” we said excitedly.
He stayed with us for three and a half weeks. Until one day my mother rang that number and someone picked up the phone. It was Sabu’s owner. He had been away and was immensely relieved to hear that Sabu was ok as he had been away on holidays and the person that was supposed to feed Sabu had neglected to do so on a regular basis. He came by to pick him up the next day and we stroked Sabu for the last time.
We got our first cat quite a few years later and he wasn’t as sweet natured as Sabu-actually he was so curmudgeonly and angry and scratched our arms and hands to pieces every single day until we got another cat Otto who was the apple of my eye. I still occasionally think of Sabu. I recently went on a game drive in South Africa and came across one of Sabu’s distant relatives, a lion. Coincidentally, Julie from Gourmet Getaways posted about a cupcake making class at Stormie D’s in Albury and when I saw the lion and monkey I immediately thought of the RSPCA cupcake day (http://www.rspcacupcakeday.com.au/).
I wanted to do make these cupcakes a little different and instead of making a cake cupcake, I decided to make it a pudding cupcake. That is, a sweet, syrupy moist cupcake called malva pudding which is drenched in a baked-in buttery, sweet vanilla syrup. The recipe was adapted from the Oprah site which I have used in the past many a time. An Afrikaner dessert named after Malvasia wine which it is typically served with, it is a fantastically spongey, moist pudding served warm from the oven. If you are a fan of sticky date pudding this is the pudding for you. What makes this lovely is the syrup that you pour into the cake after you’ve partially cooked it in the oven and poked it all over with holes. The pudding acts as a sponge holding in the vanilla infused syrup and when you take a bite into the pudding, the sweetness spreads through every bite.
Mr NQN has a dozen of these lions and monkeys to take to work to raise funds for the RSPCA Cupcake Day. The cupcakes will stay moist although I do challenge anyone to resist the smell and taste of one straight from the oven. In fact, I may have had to have baked a second lot because some seem to have disappeared somewhere….
So tell me Dear Reader, what was your favourite pet growing up? And what is the animal that you always wanted to have but never could? And do you prefer the monkey or the lion cupcake design? And is there something that you’d like to see me make as a cupcake?
Please click to enlarge
P.S. If you’re wondering where to find the best pho, baklava, laksa, fish & chips, kebab, cannoli and Peking Duck among other items, then the new Feast magazine has a liftout which features each category in each state of Australia. I helped to judge one section in Sydney and it was lots of fun (although I think it accounted for an increased dress size 
).
Please click to enlarge
P.P.S. There is also a story on me in the latest Money magazine about blogging for a living. Although I know the column above mine on becoming the next E.L. James might have caught your eye too! .
Safari Cupcakes
For malva cupcakes
Makes a dozen cupcakes
- 1 cup caster or superfine sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1.5 tablespoons apricot jam
- 1 1/4 cup plain all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1.5 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
For syrup
- 3/4 cup pure cream
- 115g/1 stick butter
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (be generous with the vanilla, it will pay dividends )
1. Line a cupcake tray with 12 liners and preheat oven to 180c/350F. In a small food processor, blend the sugar and eggs until pale lemon in colour-it doesn’t take long. Then add the apricot jam and process until large lumps are removed. Place in a medium sized mixing bowl.
2. In another bowl, measure the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder. In a separate jug, measure the milk, butter and vinegar. Alternating, add the flour mixture to the egg mixture following by the milk mixture until combined and there are no lumps. Pour into a jug and using a spoon to stop the batter, gently pour this into the cupcake liners and bake for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, and get the syrup going so that it is ready for the next step. In a small saucepan, place the cream, butter, sugar, water and vanilla and melt and bring to a simmer for a few minutes and then remove from the heat. Pour into a jug to make the next step easier.
4. Take a skewer and insert it into the cupcake, you don’t want the batter runny and you want it to be baked. Once it is, quickly poke holes into the cake with a chopstick-something thicker than the skewer ideally or even use a fork (just make sure not to poke through the bottom of the cupcake liner). Pour the syrup into the cake into the holes-you’ll be surprised how much it soaks up, especially as the cakes are warm. Then return the cupcakes to the oven and bake for 5-8 minutes. Try and resist eating one straight from the oven
Making the monkeys
You will need:
- 1x heart cutter
- 2 x round cutters, one large enough to cover the top of the cupcake and then one slightly smaller
- 1 small round cutter for ears
- Brown fondant and light tan fondant
- sharp paring knife
- non stick rolling pin and mat
- Brown icing pen or brown fondant
- White fondant for eyes
For tips on how to tint fondant, see this post
3. Roll little balls of white fondant for the eyes and stick these on with a tiny bit of water. Then using brown fondant or a brown icing pen, draw the eyes, nose and mouth.
Making the lions
You will need:
- Orange fondant
- Apricot jam
- Yellow fondant
- A round cutter slightly smaller than the cupcake circumference
- White fondant
- Small round cutter (about an inch in diameter at the most)
- A sharp paring knife
- Ruler
1. Roll out the orange fondant to about 20cms/8 inches and then using the knife, cut out long strips about 1 inch in thickness. Cut out triangles from the sides to form a mane. Carefully lift it around the cupcake joining it up at both ends.
2. If the cupcake has any depressions, make a small mound using apricot jam. Then, roll out the yellow fondant and cut out circles using the round cutter and place on top of the mound sealing in the sides of the yellow to the orange mane.
3. Make two tone ears using the orange and yellow fondant by cutting triangles and adhering these to the cupcake. Roll out the white fondant and cut out round using the smallest round cutter. Place on the lion’s face at the bottom of the face using a little water.
4. Roll little balls of white fondant for the eyes and stick these on with a tiny bit of water. Then using brown fondant or a brown icing pen, draw the eyes, nose and mouth. Using the tip of the paring knife, poke small holes around the mouth of the lion.
If you enjoyed this post, why not share it with your friends?
What is NQN up to now?
NQN on Facebook
RSS
69 Comments | Add your own
Congrats on the feature!
Those cupcakes are so cute. They monkeys are my favorite…
cheers,
Rosa
I did pick up on your being one of the judges in the Feast Food Awards when I bought a copy on Saturday. Although not being in Sydney I went straight to the Brisbane section. I was happy to find winners of Tandoori Chicken and Cannoli within walking distance of my house and few others not all that far from me. As a consequence, I ate award winning cannoli for breakfast yesterday! Feeling very lucky
You really are the mistress of fondant icing! Gorgeous looking cupcakes! Maybe you should tell Mr NQN that you need a cat now?
I like the Lion, because now I’m justified in singing The Lion King soundtrack to myself while sitting here by the pool. Win!
Love the story about Sabu, Lorraine. And thank you for reminding me about cupcake day!
Congrats Lorraine on all your print-media success. I love your animal cupcakes. So cute. I’m not surprised some ‘disappeared’. I bet at Mr NQN’s work they ‘disappeared’ before the first morning’s break. I always thought goldfish were a dud pet. You want a pet you can interact with and that black cat just sounds gorgeous. Who was the idiot who neglected to look after him? No RSPCA cupcakes for him xx
Another heart-stealing cute dessert! I don’t know how you do it.
My favorite pet growing up was an otter that we raised on a bottle; later he slept with my brother. The best!
Who could choose between the monkey and the lion, though that one lion does have an adorable whimsical look on his face.
Love the cupcakes! Can you do a zebra ? I can’t picture how to do it myself.
I’ll have the monkey.
Love the cupcakes! Can you make a zebra? I can’t picture how to do it myself.
You could always challenge yourself and do A-Z of animals lol
So cute!! I like the lions–they have adorable expressions!!
Hi Lorraine, your RSPCA cupcakes are so cute! We once adopted a stray kitty who turned out to be pregnant, so we ended up with 3 cats for a while. She was so smart and almost appreciative of us rescuing her. She used to “bark” at the door if a stranger was coming!!!
PS saw your contribution to the Feast Best of… Lovely!
Wow I am really interested in making these little puddings. They sound amazing! Love the decorations too the lions are my fav!
These cupcakes are so adorable, I just love them, the lion especially! I have a cat named Sophie (a boy, but that’s a long story!) and though I’ve always loved dogs, he’s been the best pet ever. Congrats on the feature in Money!
Sometimes you’re just too cute. Congratulations on the magazine shout out.
This post really brought a tear to my eye, and also made me laugh.
Way back when I was little, every time our pet cat had a litter of kittens, she would clean them up and then very gently put each one of them on my brother’s pillow. If he was sleeping he would wake up to the sweet sounds of newborn baby kittens…
Sadly we had to leave her behind in the big move from India to Australia, where not long after arriving, my bother was given the nickname of none other than Sabu, the elephant boy!
What cute cupcakes! They made me smile this morning.
What a huge post this morning, Lorraine, all sorts of good news.
oh my! so clever!
Awww what a gorgeous cat story. I had dogs, cats, rabbits, a duck, and 2 horses growing up!
My first cat, Puss, was a stray that we were lucky to keep 
I love your lion design, of course. Such a clever idea using a delicious pudding!
Oh Lorraine they’re divine!! And so well timed – we’re having a jungle-themed party for A’s 2nd birthday this Sunday!! I think some monkey cupcakes may make their way into the party somehow
Your monkeys and lions are absolutely adorable Lorraine. What a perfect way to celebrate RSPCA Cupcake Day. Also congratulations on the mag features
These are so incredibly adorable! I’ve always loved monkeys because my dad loves them. When I was little and we would go to the zoo, he would get so excited about them that it was contagious.
Cupcakes…my daughter, sister and I all ADORE the Wizard of Oz. I would love to see tin man, scarecrow, lion, toto, even green witch and glenda cupcakes. Munchkins, flowers, yellow brick road, poppies…the whole cast, crew and everything in between! Love the Wizard of Oz!
Oh Lorraine, as a bona fide cat and cupcake lover, I adored today’s post! And, again, you are such a role model for us fledgling bloggers, thank you & congratulations on the ‘Feast’ article! Leisa x
Hi Petrina! I love the Wizard of Oz idea! Let me put my thinking cap on…
What great write ups Lorraine, fantastic indeed!
I prefer the lion cupcakes as I have a slight monkey-phobia, I had a traumatic experience with one in Singapore as a child and it has scarred me for life
Any flavour cupcake is a great cupcake indeed!
These are sooo cute Lorraine
i don’t even want to eat them because they’re so cute hehe ~ I’ve never thought of drenching the cupcakes with syrup great idea ~
I’ve never really had a proper pet, because my parents were so against it…I did have a pet rabbit once…but unfortunately, he died a few weeks later his name was ‘Noddy’ from the cartoon
Oh wow how exciting to be in the magazine!
I always wanted a monkey when I was younger.
We had a cat called Bella who was evil. She was nicest to me but she used to hide under our beds and swipe at our feet when we walked close by. It was a good excuse not to make the bed!
Congratulations are again very much due: lovely
! Since I eat most meals in the garden have acquired my own Sabu, SO miaowy, at the moment! Loved your story. As far as cupcakes go, definitely the monkey as have been crazy about them since childhood! Well, no way to have one of them at home, so my very favourite animal from earlier days was Vahti, a 60 Kg white Alsatian: we understood one another perfectly 
!
Well done on the articles, cupcakes too!
You ARE UNIQUE great in all you do!
The monkey today makes me smile whimsically,
How about a celebrity (you admire) cupcake created in pieces assembled like John Lennon’s face at the closing Olympic games…think that would be GREAT…then again, may be JUST me
Lorraine, congratulations on your feature with Money. It is great to see passionate people get rewarded for their efforts.
I so love cats, we always had siamese when I was young. when I hit teens I became allergic to them and had horrendous urinary tract infections, little realising at the time it was the cats. now in my 50′s I am still allergic to them, but sometimes get brave and pat someone’s kitty or pick it up. i’d love to find a secret to getting rid of the allergy so I could have an ornamental.
I loved the Lion cupcakes.
***wolf whistle*** You got your face in the celebrity lane again.
Those monkeys are just precious. Congrats!!!
So adorable! Almost too much so that I would feel mean to eat them….well for a split second anyway! Congrats on the feature article!
Lorraine, those are such a beautiful cupcakes! I wanted to say very cute…:) Love your story about the Sabu, I can only imagine how you two felt when he was picked by another owner…
Congratulations on being published, and thanks for the blogging tips. I am still eagerly waiting for your book to be published… and I hope it will be for sale in USA.
A panda!! How about a panda NGN?
Think my kids would love the cupcakes! So adorable.
Btw, my kids always shout “Makaaannnnn” too when it’s dinnertime
These are adorable! Pinning now 3 2 1….,
After this post I couldn’t resist the urge to post some cat photos, come see it… I was thinking of you…
weeeee so cute!! I wish I had a bigger workplace so I could bake enough cupcakes to raise money!
Oh my gosh malva pudding cupcakes.. I would give an arm to have some malva pudding now! And they are super cute too
Did you tint your own fondant, or buy it already tinted?
Hi Nicole! I tinted my own-I wish I had storage space to buy it and keep it in my pantry. I did have daydreams about neatly stacked buckets of tinted fondant…maybe one day!
If you want tips on tinting your own fondant, there are some here: http://www.notquitenigella.com/2010/05/05/alice-in-wonderland-cupcakes-10-tips-for-cupcake-decorating-from-planet-cake/
What stunning little cakes my friend, they look too adorable and delicious
Congrats on the wonderful feature!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I dont know which is cuter, the hedgehog ones from a few weeks ago or these!
I forgot to add. I like how much vanilla you used. They would smell great- Vanilla Bean.
these are so cute! I love the theme for the RSPCA
These are too cute – I especially love the giraffe peeking its head up in the background
NQN – you have the BEST Monday-work-blues blasting posts every week!
Cute!!!! I made cupcakes for RSPCA Day too – mine will be posted Thursday when they don’t clash with cooking groups.
We had a neighbor’s cat that was so very friendly, and responded like a dog when you called it to her. That was so sweet.
Your Mom was so nice to have called on the owner persistently. I know how you must have felt.
Love the cup-cakes. Awesome!
I still want a pet giraffe but as a child we had as many animals as I wanted – though I was sad at a series of dogs that came and went rather quickly and our cat who got sick. It is a sad story about Sabu because 3 weeks is enough to become very attached but I am sure you did a great deed for the owner. Sounds like you need a cat about your house
*she claps long & hard* Congratulations Lorraine, once again for being in not one but two articles!
Love both types of cupcakes and funny that these are soaked in syrup, two days ago Gabriella made Mojito cupcakes and soaked them with syrup as well! Great minds think alike, hehe
Themes with cupcakes are endless , there are no limits, I see so many great ideas on FB these days, lots of talented cake makers/artisans out there!
We also fed a cat who we thought was a stray and she loved us and didn’t want to go. Somehow, her owner who lived a street away found out where she was and promptly took her home. My brother and I were devastated but we needn’t have worried because Lola ( which is what we called her) came straight back. After three attempts her owner just gave up and she became ours. She had the best temperament , we had her for many years and she bore lots of kittens but in the end a tick took her life.
I always wanted a white horse like in the fairytales but that never came to be as I was too young to realise it was just that , a fairytale!
I’ve been away for the weekend, so I am just catching up now. I love the Monkey cupcake. I used to have a rabbit when I was a kid, named BoomBoom! I am not much of a cat person (I just don’t like it that they kill things) I like a much gentler pet. I’m going to read your article now.
Adorable! The monkeys are my favorite…
Adorable, like the characters in Madagascar!
And the photo with the wooden ruler reminded me of school.
very cute cupcakes! I love the story of the cat, I have two adopted SPCA moggies who we spoil rotten.
I love the monkey design, it looks so funny.
I hate cats, there is something on the cats that scare me, their eyes flashing on the night or the sounds that remind me a baby crying. So scary.
So, you are in a magazing…!!! congrats…!!!
OMG these are too cute!! Such a great cause as well Lorraine – fab job!
Congrats on all the media attention, Lorraine, but none of iy is ever a surprise..your talent is blinding!
That said..loved your Sabu the kitty story. I was a dog person most of my life..liking cats..but never really dying for one (even though I loved the kittens). Well..I finally got my first kitten..and that was it! I now have two kitties and LOVE them to death. Good thing..since we can’t have pups where I live now.
Those cupcakes are adorable! You ARE a master with the fondant!
So cute Lorraine!
Great story, and these are absolutely adorable, Lorraine!
My first pet was a little squirrel in India called Jegly. Some 10 year old boy caught him in the jungle and brought him to us and we had a massive play pen (read: cage) for him in our balcony and he’d keep whistling which we thought was lovely. Later we realised he was probably crying and really unhappy so we took him back to the jungle and let him go
i hope he is happy wherever he is!
ps: love the monkeys! x
for the record, i think actual hunting safaris are terrible and unfair, but your cupcakes are adorable! very creative, lorraine!
Your story of Sabu brings back so many memories of my own childhood – I could almost relive the moments with stray animals like a wounded pigeon and a baby rabbit. I grew very attached to both in a very short amount of time and I can imagine how attached you must have become to Sabu after 2 weeks! I’m glad the owner showed up for the poor kitty, but I’m sad for the two kids who had to say goodbye!
And congrats on the two magazine features – you’re rubbing elbows in exclusive circles! What an honor and loved getting to glimpse both…
These are so cute! And you are so clever, on all fronts. Congratulations on the media coverage and bloggie success.
Tried the Malvi cupcakes Lorraine but unfortunately there was far too much syrup and the cakes turned into a soggy mess. Perhaps the recipe should call for less syrup, or should stipulate a certain amount in each cake. Cheers Meaghan.
the monkey cupcakes are just adorable!!
Love your fondant details – these would be perfect for a kid’s birthday!
Post a Comment