A decorated cake big enough for a single person, and baked and served in its own container is called a cupcake. Cupcakes are always a favourite among all age groups and can be enjoyed at any time of the day. In earlier centuries, before muffin tins were widely available, the cakes were often baked in individual pottery cups, ramekins, or moulds and took their name from the cups they were baked in. The name has stuck, and a cupcake can now be any small cake that is about the size of a teacup. A cupcake uses the same basic ingredients as regular cakes — butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. Nearly any recipe that is suitable for a layer cake can be used to bake cupcakes. The batter used for cupcakes can be flavoured or have other ingredients stirred in, like candied fruits, raisins, fruit purees, berries, frozen foods, nuts, chocolate chips or biscuit crumble.Today the cupcake has gone gourmet and is playful, hip and glamorous. Over the past few years cupcake bakeries have opened around the country with people waiting late at night in lines outside the door. This craze is here to stay.Very berry cupcakes IngredientsMakes 10 cupcakes of 90 grams eachFlour no one 200gmUnsalted butter 200gmSugar 200gmEggs 5Vanilla extracts 1 tspBaking powder ½ tspBlueberry filling 100gmFondant icingIcing sugar 250gmWater 125mlCream icing Whipping cream 300mlMethodSift flour and baking powder together and keep aside.Preheat the oven to 180°C.Melt butter and add sugar. Stir till all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture becomes light and fluffy.Add eggs and vanilla extracts one by one. Mix well.Gradually add flour and mix using spatula by cut and fold method.Pour into the desired cupcake mould and bake at 180°C for 20-25 minutes.Check by piercing a cupcake with knife, if the knife comes out clear then the cupcake is ready.Remove from oven and allow the cupcakes to cool down. Garnish with fondant icing or whipped cream as per your choice.For fondant icingCombine the icing sugar and water and bring the mixture to boil till it is of coating consistency. Pour the mixture on top of cupcakes and spread evenly while hot. Allow it to set down and decorate with cream or sprinklers or fruits of your choice. For cream icingWhip the chilled cream to make it light and fluffy and pipe using a piping bag on top of the cupcakes. Note: Do not open the oven door frequently while the cupcakes are being baked as the oven temperature goes down when you open the door. MeatballsMeatball is a mincemeat ball flavoured with herbs and seasonings held together with a binding agent. It is fried or simmered in its own sauce and served alongside rice or pasta. It is commonly associated with Italian cuisine but has also been found in other parts of the world, acquiring the name kofta (possibly from the Persian word koffteh, meaning pounded meat). Making old and leftover scraps of meat into meatloaf was an economical and inventive way of conserving resources. Including other flavourings and tenderising agents add to the overall volume of the meat. The variety in meatballs can be partly responsible for the overall popularity of the item. Beef meatballsServes 4IngredientsMinced beef 750gm Onions 2 Garlic 5-6 clovesOlive oil 2 tbspButter 2 tbspEggs 1Sea salt to tasteBlack pepper to tasteThyme herb ½ tspParsley few sprigsBread 2 slicesMilk 1/2 cupGravyOil 1 tbspOnion 1 noFlour 1 tbspTomato puree 1 cupBeef stock 500mlSalt and pepper to tasteWorcestershire sauce ½ tspParsley a few sprigsMethodSoak bread in milk and mash it. Add the minced beef, chopped onions, egg, parsley, herbs and seasoning and mix to a stiff dough. Shape the mixture into tiny balls and heat butter and oil in a skillet and brown meatballs on all sides.Once the meatballs are browned from outside, remove and keep aside on absorbent paper.Add some more oil to the remaining butter in the skillet and sauté onions for five minutes.Add flour and cook it till its brown. Pour in the beef stock and the remaining ingredients.Cook on slow flame and simmer the meatballs in the sauce. Cook for 20 minutes or till the meatballs are cooked and juicy.Serve hot with choice of vegetables, rice or pasta garnished with chopped parsley.* Tarun Kapoor is executive chef at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel. Send your feedback to: exe.chef@horizonmanor.com