The Night Before Cupcakes
DAD BOD AND DOUGH
There is a moment in every parent’s life when bedtime is finally within reach.
Teeth brushed.
School uniforms ready.
Lunchboxes mostly packed.
You sit down, maybe even pour a glass of wine, and think:
"I survived today."
And then it happens.
From the hallway comes the sentence that strikes fear into every parent’s heart:
“Dad… don’t forget the cupcakes I need for school tomorrow.”
Tomorrow.
Not next week.
Not next month.
Tomorrow.
Now honestly, sometimes I wonder if I forgot… or if I was told in the first place and my brain simply filed it under “deal with later.”
But either way, unexpected baking when you’re tired is a nightmare.
“Holy Shit”
The Cupcake Problem
My daughter didn’t just want cupcakes.
Oh no.
She had an idea.
She wanted cupcakes for her two best friends:
• one African friend
• one coloured friend
• and of course, herself
Which meant she asked for three kinds of cupcakes to represent each culture.
I mean sure baby, at this time of night, just keep adding on the requests! So, it was decided to make something for each child who all ate different things. I came up sarcastically with the names-
African Queens
Coloured Sisters
White Ladies
At that moment I realised something important.
I committed to something when I could have sneakily bought some cupcakes in the morning from the garage!
I was tired.
I was busy.
I wanted to go to bed!
“Put the phone away and get creative”
The Cupcake Plan
In theory, this meant three batches of cupcakes which normally would be enough to make any tired parent abandon the whole idea and send a packet of biscuits to school instead.
But there was a trick.
Each batch used the same base recipe, sort of!
Same measurements.
Same pot.
Same spoon.
Similar ingredients.
The only thing that changed was the flavour.
That meant no complicated baking, no mixers, and most importantly — almost nothing to clean up afterwards.
And when you're baking cupcakes at night after a full day of work, that matters.
So, the cupcakes became:
African Queens – rich chocolate cupcakes made with cocoa and dark chocolate.
Coloured Sisters – warm caramel cupcakes made with brown sugar.
White Ladies – smooth vanilla cupcakes with melted white chocolate.
Three cupcakes.
One simple method.
One pot.
One spoon.
One very tired dad.
“Let the games begin”
The One-Pot Cupcake Recipe
This is the kind of baking recipe every parent needs.
No mixers.
No fancy equipment.
Just a pot, a spoon, and a little determination.
African Queens (Chocolate)
In a pot put the following-
• 50 grams of cornflour
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (the darker the better)
• 100 grams of sugar/ caster sugar
• 275 mls water
Boil until it thickens and then add in
• 75 grams butter
• 125 grams dark/milk chocolate
• 75 mls oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 2 large eggs
• 125 grams sugar/caster sugar
• 125 grams flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
Mix until well combined, divide into 12 muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
These bake into rich, deep chocolate cupcakes that look as bold as their name.
Coloured Sisters (Caramel)
Into a pot add the following-
• 100 grams of brown sugar
• 275 mls water
• 50 grams of custard powder
Boil until it thickens and then add the same ingredients as the African queens just swapping the dark/milk chocolate for white chocolate and the white sugar for brown sugar
The white chocolate and custard powder creates a soft caramel flavour and a darker golden colour.
White Ladies
• the exact recipe as for Coloured sisters but use white sugar instead of brown.
This makes the cupcakes lighter, sweeter, and beautifully pale.
'“Normally I stir the pot and make drama but tonight its just a taste test”
And when you're finished?
Wash the pot.
Wash the spoon.
That's it.
After the cupcakes were baked, the kitchen smelled like chocolate, caramel, and melted white chocolate.
The pot was washed.
The spoon was washed.
Luckily I had premade buttercreams already in piping bags for the next day so I used that to decorate with!
And three trays of cupcakes sat cooling on the counter like tiny trophies of parental survival.
The next morning my daughter proudly walked into school carrying her cupcakes for her friends, one African Queen, one Coloured Sister, and White Lady being herself!.
Three different cupcakes.
Three friends.
One tired dad who now understands that the phrase “don’t forget tomorrow” should always be treated like a five-alarm emergency.
Because parenting teaches you many things.
Patience.
Creativity.
And occasionally how to bake cupcakes at night when you really should be sleeping.
“Lets hope MADAM approves the end results”
Raising a daughter.
Raising a business.
Raising Hell when necessary.
And occasionally creating late night miracles.
