GoodOaks Homecare - Bournemouth and Poole host Spring Bonanza
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Last year, we joined bakers around the country to celebrate the Alzheimer’s Society Cupcake Day by holding a cake sale at our offices. As well as a brilliant opportunity to bring us all together over a cup of tea and slice of homemade cake, this initiative raises money for the Alzheimer’s Society. This charity is one close to our hearts, as many of our clients are living with dementia.
Despite not being able to hold a Cake Sale this year, we still wanted to help promote the charity. We’re getting out our mixing bowls and wooden spoons and enjoying a cupcake (or two!) from our own homes. If you’re in need of some inspiration, one of our Visiting Carers, Edit Bertalan, has shared a recipe for her delicious rainbow cupcakes.
She says: “This is a pretty simple recipe for Cupcake Day that you can get the kids involved in as well. If you don’t have enough mental strength to make a proper Swiss buttercream because the kids have had enough, just mix some icing sugar with cream cheese and just spread it on the top; it’s always a winner!”
Recipe for Edit’s Rainbow Cupcakes
Ingredients:
Makes 12 cupcakes
150g flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
150g butter or margarine
150g sugar
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla essence
120ml milk
Food colouring of your choice
Method:
- After bringing all the ingredients to room temperature, whisk together the butter, sugar and vanilla. Then add the egg whites and whisk until light and fluffy.
- Add the flour, baking powder and the salt and gently fold in (you can add a little of the milk to help mix the batter together).
- Mix in the rest of the milk.
- Divide the batter up into bowls and add a few drops of food colouring. We usually make the following six: yellow, orange, pink, green, blue and pink – because pink is a must in our household.
- Using a teaspoon, fill up your cupcake cases in any colour variations you like and bake in a pre-heated oven (175°C) for 15 minutes.
A note on icing:
Edit says: “You can ice these cupcakes however you like – in our house, everything we bake has to contain chocolate so I make a ganache. A trick I learned recently was to use water instead of cream. I was a bit sceptical, bit it’s really amazing actually.
“All you need to do is to break up some good quality chocolate and bring the water to the boil – then mix until it has dissolved. For 12 cupcakes, you’ll need about 250g of dark chocolate and 125mls water. You can whip it up a bit after it’s cooled down.
“Then you can pipe it onto your cupcakes and decorate them as you like… preferably with sprinkles or with any other colourful decorations. Have fun!”
Good Oaks will be making a donation to the Alzheimer’s Society for Cupcake Day.
Dementia Care at Good Oaks
At Good Oaks, we approach Dementia Care as we do all of the care we provide: with the individual at the centre. Dementia affects everyone differently, so we focus on the individual and their strengths and weaknesses, rather than on the condition.
All of our Carers are Dementia Friends and are registered with the Dignity in Care initiative. We’ll go above and beyond to make sure your loved one feels supported and reassured.
When a loved one is diagnosed with dementia, you can feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to help. We have prepared some helpful resources about dementia, designed to help you be there for your family member or friend.
