Cakes for Cousin Song

I have so many fanciful cupcake recipes - rosewater cupcakes with lychee buttercream, green tea cupcake with azuki-swirled buttercream, for instance - in my repertoire but I find that what people like, what they crave for, are the ones they are most familiar with, the ones that are straightforward and simple, like vanilla cakes and of course, chocolate ones.

I asked Cousin Song what she wanted for her wedding and she said without a pause and a big smile, "The simple nice ones." And the lovely bride got what she wanted - Nutella, raspberry and chocolate cupcakes. I was a little worried about people getting sick of eating the same old thing again and again but to my surprise, they all enjoyed the cakes and even went back for seconds.   :)

Love the way the vanilla-dotted cream looks and love the taste even more. Nothing beats the real thing. The little brown blot on the cream was the result of my clumsiness as I arranged the cakes on the Wilton stand.