Valentine's Day and a plea for help

Firstly, I want to apologise for my absence of late. Here in Melbourne we have been dealing with an incredible heatwave, with temperatures reaching 47 degrees celsius (that's a scorching 117 fahrenheit!) As you can appreciate, it has been much too hot for cooking.

Secondly, I want to plead for your help. You may have heard about the horrific bushfires that have ravaged the state of Victoria, Australia (where I live). During the past week these fires have claimed the lives of at least 181 people, with many more still missing. These fires have touched the lives of dear friends of mine and I want to urge you to dig deep for the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal. Many crisis centres are now overflowing with donated goods and the blood bank has also been inundated with blood donations, so the best thing you can do right now is give money to the appeal. You can donate by visiting the Red Cross website and making a secure donation, or you can call the Red Cross on 1800 811 700.

On a lighter note, today is Valentine's Day. Whether you choose to celebrate it or not, you can't deny that these mini vanilla bean cupcakes are pretty damn cute.

I thought I'd share the love at work yesterday and spread a little V-Day cheer by handing these around. They were vanilla bean cake topped with pink vanilla buttercream. Some were decorated with red fondant hearts, while the rest were sprinkled with dried rose petals.

If you are using rose petals, you can definitely use your own roses provided they have not been sprayed with any pesticides. Since I am in an apartment and don't have any roses handy, I purchased mine from The Essential Ingredient in Prahran.

Happy Valentine's Day to all!