Really soft cupcakes kids can make

Maxine bugged me about making cupcakes at home. After having tasted good ones and seeing some hawked at our local church gathering, I promised her that we would shop for the ingredients. Two weeks of daily pestering and begging and cajoling prompted me to search for a good base recipe. Then with a little imagination and a spot of creativity, I asked Maxine to join me in going shopping for the ingredients at the nearby SM Supermarket. To many people grocery shopping is a chore, but with Maxine it is a game of I Spy. I Spy something green and curly. She points at the broccoli. I Spy something long and thin. Spaghetti!

So one rainy Saturday afternoon we were pouring over two bowls of batter and mixing and stirring and getting every possible surface covered with flour and baking powder. A normal exercise of half an hour stretched into two hours of blissful bonding before placing 16 pristine cups of delicious dough into the oven.

25 minutes later the smell of cheddar cheese and warm cooking made the tiny dining room a little more comfy. 6 hours later we were left with four cupcakes. And she plans to bring a couple to school the next day.

• 1 3/4 C All Purpose Flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 C white sugar
• 2 large eggs whole
• 1/2 tsp orange extract
• 8 oz condensed milk
• 1 C Cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl
3. In another bowl, beat sugar and eggs until creamy white. Stir in extract.
4. While stirring, pour in a third of the flour mixture into the bowl . (This is where an extra pair of little hands come in handy. In this case, Maxine wanted to do the stirring) Pour in half of the condensed milk. Mix well until just. Pour in another third of the flour mix, then the rest of the condensed milk. Finish off with the rest of the flour mixture
5. Stir in half of the shredded cheese. I prefer long strands as it tends not to melt as fast and allows a little bit of crunchy texture when the cupcakes are done.
6. Mix until the batter is smooth. Do not over mix so the gluten will not tire. Pour into 16 cupcake moulds.
7. Top each liberally with the rest of the shredded cheddar cheese.
8. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden and a pin inserted comes out clean.