“When you look at a cupcake, you’ve got to smile.”
Anne Byrn
It’s been AGES since I decorated cupcakes or made iced sugar cookies. A few days ago when the daughter was frosting cupcakes for Mr PABs birthday, I thought back of the number of times I had done this for the kids when they were young. Now my food colour bottles need the cobwebs dusted off as the kids have grown up. IMHO {which was proved wrong} they are a tad old for colourful cakes and cookies etc. These Vanilla Bean Cupcakes topped with a silky butter cream and garnished with homemade marzipan made me think again! The kids LOVED them, the lad gently told his teen sis, “Mamas’ cupcakes are better than the ones you made for Papas’ birthday!” How brave of him, knowing that she can kill with her looks in these tumultuous teenage years! The cupcakes were certainly delicious and full of deep vanilla flavour. The frosting was silky smooth too, and didn’t set hard as a rock when refrigerated {must have been the low fat cream in there!}.I made them one morning when the kids were at school, and you should have lseen their amazement, ooohs and aaaahs echoing in the living room, when I brought them out. “Oooooh PURTY“, screamed the terrible teen, and then, ‘Yum marzipan!” she exclaimed. Hmmm … food connect? Marzipan always makes her recall the cakes I made for her 9th and 12th birthday many years ago, my first trysts with marzipan {pictures from long ago}!I love working with marzipan; it’s like going back to the kindergarten days and play-dough! The last I made marzipan was for these two delicious cakes – a Cinnamon Buttercream Autumn Cake {for a Daring Bakes competition}, and Ottolenghis Carrot Walnut Cake! The recipe this time was different from my previous one; easier and with just minimal ingredients. I found it online @ Only Recipes, by Alessandra Zecchini. I added neon purple food colour to it {which might explain why these aren’t ‘deep purple’!}. Why specifically PURPLE you might wonder?A mail in my inbox the other day made me bake cupcakes. It was an invite from the Pixel Project to contribute my favourite cupcake recipe for a “Paint It Purple” Cupcake Online Recipe Gallery. The project aims at painting the internet purple and selling cupcakes for the cause to end violence against women. I salute the initiative, and it led to Pinktober being painted a little PURPLE too. The Pixel Project are a global volunteer-led non-profit working to raise awareness, funds and volunteer power for the cause to end violence against women worldwide using social media and new technologies. The “Paint It Purple” is a campaign to raise awareness and funds for the cause to end violence against women (VAW) in communities worldwide. This campaign runs from 8 Oct to 24 Nov 2011 and covers Domestic Violence Awareness Month as well as being a warm-up for International Day of Elimination of VAW (25 Nov 2011).
The annual“Paint It Purple” campaign raises awareness about Violence Against Women (VAW) by getting a global audience to “paint” the internet purple during the campaign using social media. The campaign also raises funds for The Pixel Project, our partners and participating VAW nonprofits worldwide through cupcake bake sales and “Paint It Purple” parties.
“Paint It Purple” is open to all VAW nonprofits, grassroots groups, bakeries and individuals supporting the cause to end violence against women.
India has her own initiative in this direction, The Bel Bajao campaign, translated to mean “Ring The Bell“. “Around 35 percent of Indian women suffer from physical violence at the hands of their partners while nearly 40 percent men and women think that it is sometimes or always ‘justifiable’ for a man to beat his wife (UN Women report on Progress of the World’s Women: In Pursuit of Justice, 2011-2012).Domestic violence is an issue that cuts across class, race, gender, ethnic communities, education, sexual orientation, religion and any other form of diversity in the society. Women of all races are about equally vulnerable to violence by an intimate partner.“
I think the more we get involved in our individual capacities, the better the chances are that violence against women will find an end. Any action, however small, is good news. Let’s join hands and make a difference. Each voice counts, and in turn gives support to those at the receiving end, paving the way for a brighter and safer tomorrow.Learn more and/or get involved.
