I love these little cupcakes. So much. The icing is one of my favourite icings ever. It’s cream cheese and chocolate – it’s so delicious that it should almost be illegal. Part of what I love about the cupcakes is that they’re not quite perfect. The batter is simple and not too sweet, the icing is delicious, but lends itself to a more rustic look. They’re a little bit less-than-perfect…and that’s completely fine. As someone who is constantly striving to achieve perfection, sometimes I need to take a step back and remind myself that being “less than” is not always a bad thing. Perfect isn’t always fun. We’re fast approaching the Easter long weekend, and I think that “less than” is a wonderful long weekend mantra. Whether you apply it to tidying your bedroom, clearing up last night’s dishes, finishing that assignment you’ve been slaving over, or teaching a naughty little sausage dog how to shake.

(Okay, so that last point may not be universally applicable. It’s definitely something I’m less-than-perfect at doing at the moment though!)

These cupcakes are a wonderful reminder that less than should be celebrated sometimes. Reward yourself for trying, leave the dishes for later. Eat one of these cupcakes. And have a glorious long weekend.

Easter cupcakes:

• 115g butter, softened
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar,
• Seeds of ½ vanilla bean
• 2 eggs
• 11/2 cups plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarb soda
• ¾ cup milk

Chocolate philly icing:

• 250g PHILADELPHIA
• 45g dark chocolate
• ½ cup icing sugar
• ½ tbsp milk

Preheat your oven to 180°C and line 12 cupcake moulds. Cream together the butter and sugar on a medium speed until pale. Add in the eggs and mix well. Add in the vanilla bean seeds and mix. Mix in the plain flour and bicarb, then the milk. If your butter has started to make the mixture look a little bit clumpy, set it in a bath of warm water to bring the temperature down slightly. Mix until smooth. Scoop the mixture into your prepared pans and pop in the oven for 18-20 minutes. To make your icing, pop all of your ingredients in a bowl and mix at a medium speed until combined. For consistency, it’s easiest if your cream cheese is at room temperature. Once all of the ingredients are combined, grab a pallet knife and spread over your cupcakes. You don’t need to be a perfectionist about it, I like that these cupcakes are a little bit less polished. Top with whatever Easter-appropriate decorations you desire. I opted for pastel musk pellets and some dark chocolate squiggles, which I’ll share with you later in the week. Happy Easter baking! P.s I used Vanilla Queen vanilla beans for this recipe and they were amazing. Not only is the smell of them intoxicating, they’re actually beautiful to look at! Carly, the owner of Vanilla Queen, sent me some vanilla beans to test out and I am officially addicted. I’ve looked into buying vanilla beans in bulk in the past because they’re such good value; Vanilla Queen is going to have a regular customer in this baker!