
A recent order reminded me of the beauty of simplicity. And therein lies the universal truth that sometimes, the beautiful things in life need not be adorned with the most exquisite of designs, let alone the most intricate of details. For simplicity is a virtue, and the slightest splash of colour will paint a rainbow of a smile in the hearts of those who silently embrace the sweet lulling whisper of the sun dipping into the enveloped violet sky every evening.

Fancy me getting all emotional over Nutella swirl cupcakes, really.
On another non-Nutella note altogether, I’ve been tagged for ’The 5 things’ meme by the lovely Ida and sweet-tooth, and since I’ve already done one for my personal blog, I’ve decided to modify this meme to suit this foodblog. Hope you don’t mind!
5 things found in my kitchen
- a sign that reads “In this kitchen, I’M the boss!” (unfortunately, it’s not mine *haha*)
- a wired chicken carrying all our eggs
- delivery flyers/pamphlets (mostly pizzas)
- half a carton of canned Cokes
- an ais kacang maker (I realise I can simply say ‘an ice shaving machine’, but ais kacang maker sounds more enticing, doesnt it? *rubs hands in glee*)
5 things I’ve always wanted to do
- own a
goodDLSR - have my own soho/business
- visit the outskirts of Japan, particularly during spring or the sakura season
- write a book (fiction, not a cookbook!)
- lie on the green grasses of a large meadow, and not have to worry about the humid weather or ants eating my pizza
5 things found in my mini-fridge
- a packet of Cadbury’s Chocettes
- a box of Merci chocolates
- a packet of Hershey’s Kissables
- a bottle of Robitussin
- a pink eye mask
5 things found in my pantry
- loadsa flour! (read: plain flour, cake flour, bread flour, self-raising flour, cornflour, rice flour, glutinous rice flour)
- a heart-shaped baking mould that I’ve only used once
- a hand-held mixer with sockets for two attachments, but currently only holding one (the other got lost amidst the move, I think)
- my mom’s wide array of spices collected over the vacation trips
- [what seems like my mom's lifetime supply of] boxes of coconut milk i.e. the staple ingredient of Malay dishes *haha*
5 things I’m currently into
- job-hunting *ahakz*
- Heroes (episode 5 of season 2 renewed my faith in the current season)
- experimenting with different cupcakes
- Death Note (borrowed the CD from the mister)
- decorating the room
October 27, 2007 at 11:41 pm
wow… seriously this batch was the bomb!
especially since it had a GENEROUS serving of Nutella….
wooooooooooootz!
my favourite thing that you bake!
October 27, 2007 at 11:53 pm
Those swirls on the top look fantastic, I am sure they tasted as good as they look if not better!
http://www.chocolateshavings.ca
October 27, 2007 at 11:55 pm
By the way, I totally agree with you on Heroes . I am currently living in Montreal, and I sense there will be some Heroes action here soon…!
October 28, 2007 at 12:25 am
bie: I know! The last I baked these for you was for your birthday, wasn’t it? Like months ago! Sorry, dearie ~hehe :p
chocolateshavings: Thanks! Ahhh, Heroes fans unite! I wouldn’t have been hooked onto Heroes if not for the otaku boyfriend who introduced me to it. And I guess I never turned back since…
October 28, 2007 at 5:49 am
NUTELLA! love it…
October 28, 2007 at 9:09 am
Nice cupcakes! And I must tell you, deathnote is ADDICTIVE, or at least to me.
October 28, 2007 at 10:13 am
lovely!! I agree with you, and I personally prefer simple bakes without any fancy icing or frosting ;D
October 28, 2007 at 12:21 pm
linda: I lurrrrve Nutella; used to eat it straight out of the jar as a kid! No wait, I still do it now. -_-
Bernice: Thanks, Bernice! And yes, Death Note is gooood… You’re not alone! :p
happy homebaker: Thanks! Yup, sometimes simplicity is such a great breath of fresh air
October 28, 2007 at 5:30 pm
ooh they look so yummy ;D
i got the cookie cutters from japan, tokyu hands.
my mum got them actually, cos i saw them on Happy Homebaker’s blog so i asked my mum to try get them.
i think elyn(http://esjoie.wordpress.com/baking-tools-for-sale/) is selling them, you could check it out.
btw, you’ve been tagged!
check my blog out for the meme
October 28, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Ah yes, I never realised they were part of Elyn’s sales; thanks! And thank you for the meme tag, since it’s the same as the one in this entry, I’ve added your name to it *hehe*
October 29, 2007 at 1:19 am
Yum yum, nutella… I tried the oreo muffins, it’s really chocolaty. I added too much choc chips, haha.. But goes very well with milk.
October 29, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Haha, it’s hard not to add too much choc chips; the batter looks deceivingly non-chocolatey, doncha think? :p
October 29, 2007 at 1:29 pm
I seems to taste more of the choc chip than the oreo. Seems like to bake with only oreo, the oreo taste is mild.
October 29, 2007 at 6:22 pm
Those cupcakes looks so heavenly.
I made these Choc Hazelnut Scrolls using nutella. 
October 29, 2007 at 7:28 pm
didally: Yah you’re right. I think it’s largely to do with the fact that Oreos are technically not sweet; it’s the cream that makes it sweet, and when you crush/mix them with the batter too much, the cream separates from the Oreos, and merges into the batter itself. Hence, the bland taste, if you were to bake only with the Oreos.
Did you chop them coarsely? Coz I had large chunks of Oreos in the muffin, so I could actually distinctly taste them, rather than the choc chips :p
The Cooking Ninja: Thanks for dropping by. And as for your Choc Hazelnut Scrolls……. bookmarked and itching to give it a go! Thanks for sharing
October 30, 2007 at 3:01 pm
I chop them into chunks like you did. =D Perhaps, i pour too much choc chip. lol
October 31, 2007 at 10:27 pm
Hehe. Or maybe I could taste the Oreos more than the choc chips coz my choc chips were pretty small; more of mini choc chips, actually :p
November 5, 2007 at 5:54 am
Your photos alway turn out stunning. I am surprised to learn that you are not using a DSLR! I have seen Nutella cupcakes bring posted a couple of times but never make it myself! What am I thinking!?
All the best for the job hunt.
November 5, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Thanks, Mandy. I can’t afford a DSLR yet! :p Anyway, you really should bake the Nutella cupcakes! At least just give it a try to see what all the hype’s about
November 8, 2007 at 10:12 pm
you know what, i’ve got a sudden urge to bake this!
haha as soon as i get my hands on a bottle of nutella, i’ll make sure i make these cupcakes!
thanks for sharing the recipe!
November 8, 2007 at 11:43 pm
Sure thang. But be sure to try hard refraining yourself from licking the spoon of Nutella at the end of it all, or even worse, end up infront of the teevee scooping heaping spoons of Nutella one after another right into the comforts of your mouth
November 11, 2007 at 7:56 pm
haha that’s true!
i just bought a bottle of Nutella today and it’s yummyyyy!
just one question, how many cupcakes does this recipe yield?
November 12, 2007 at 10:09 am
Hey sweetie, it depends on your cupcake case size actually. If you’re using regular ones, you’d get about 12; if you’re using a slightly larger one, then it’d be around 9 cupcakes.
November 12, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Ooh, they look lovely!
November 12, 2007 at 10:26 pm
Thanks, Mel!