James and I have have eaten like good Brits today! It was a bank holiday in Switzerland so we went to Jim’s British Market in St Genis (just over the French border) to stock up on Orange Squash and other things (and a cheeky bacon sandwich). Living abroad we have got used to having supermarkets filled with different things but there are some food stuffs that don’t exist here and we just can’t do without!
- Robinson’s Sugar Free Orange Juice
- Anchor Spreadable Butter (with Salt!)
- Crumpets
- Proper Bacon
- Proper Sausages
- Light Hellmanns
- Self-Raising Flour
- Tetleys
- Cheddar
Amazingly we usually manage to keep away from the chocolate and crisps aisle!
Anyway, after having a crumpet and cup of tea for foursies – we decided to eat the newly bought beef sausages with mash and onion gravy …mmmm.
Then James started musing about how much he fancied a Victoria Sponge so I (armed with my self-raising flour!) made him some mini vicky sponge cupcakes – with apricot jam inside as it is his favourite… I am a good girlfriend sometimes 
This is how I made them:
For the cupcakes:
- 115 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 115 g caster sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 115 g self-raising flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the filling:
- 2 tablespoons icing sugar, for dusting (optional)
- 50 g margarine
- 100 g icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- apricot jam
First – preheat the oven to 180C…then beat the butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy, and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Combine the flour and baking powder and sift into the mixture. Fold in, then stir in the vanilla extract. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. For the buttercream: Cream the margarine, and gradually sift the icing sugar into the mixture, and cream together. Add the vanilla extract, and stir.
To put it together carefully slice the cakes in half and spread a dollop of jam, and then buttercream into the middle of each cake. Then put back the lid and sprinkle with icing sugar.
So yummy… not sure they will last the night though!
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They look delicious……………… do you want the secret recipe for Church Street Apricot Jam to put inside next year?
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