A little bit about Auntie EliGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.Give_Me_Astoria_image_00028.Give_Me_Astoria_image_00028.

Born and raised in Astoria from Cypriot parents, I studied as a graphic designer but always had a passion for bakingGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. On impulse, in 2010, I rented a small spot in Larnaca, Cyprus and named it Auntie Eli’sGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. This all happened in a matter of 2 hoursGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Yes, that’s right, 2 hours!

I, with the help of my husband, friends and family, worked day and night on our little shopGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Building, tiling, painting and baking! I tiled my whole kitchen myself!

Auntie Eli’s was up and running by November 15, 2010Give_Me_Astoria_image_00028.

Here, I laughed, cried, celebrated, learned, achieved, failed, got back up, dusted off the flour from my apron and fought every single day to make my dream a realityGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. I am so grateful for the lessons learned and I am so excited to be able to pass down these tips, tricks and recipes with youGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. It took many trials and errors to get to this point, but hopefully you guys will have an easier time baking with these tips!

Ingredients

• 120 grGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbspGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup self raising flour
• 1/2 cup milk

Tips

• All ingredients must be room temperatureGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. It makes all the difference!
• Use the K paddle instead of the whisk for better results when making cake batterGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.
• If you don’t have self raising flour, combine the flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of saltGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.
• Always use full fat milkGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.
• Once you start mixing the flour into the creamed mixture, be careful not to over mix! Mix on slow just until combinedGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Over mixing will give you a dense textured cake instead of a light and fluffy one!
• Preheat the oven to 350ºF
• Very Basic Vanilla

Yields 12 cupcakes or an 8″ cake; after the cake is baked and cooled, slice it horizontally to fill it with desired fillingGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028.

Method

Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla on medium speed, scraping the sides often so as to keep an even consistency in the batterGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Gradually add the eggs one at a time, again scraping the sides of your bowl after each additionGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Sift 1/3 of the flour into the batter and mix on low speed just until combinedGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Do not over mix! Continue by mixing in half of the milkGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Repeat this until all the milk and flour is used upGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. (3 parts flour, 2 parts milk) Pour the batter into your desired baking trayGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Bake 20 minutes for cupcakes or 35 minutes for a cakeGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. Test the baking is finished by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cakeGive_Me_Astoria_image_00028. If it comes out clean, it’s ready!

See you next Tuesday for another delicious treat, be sure to tag in your baking posts so we can see the results!