Muffins, pineapple and lots of cakes

Last weekend’s bad weather meant a lot of time spent indoors.  This meant I got in a cooking and baking mood, so as well as the steak and ale pie I made on Sunday, I also made a pineapple upside down cake.  I’ve featured the pineapple upside down cake several times before (such as here,) as it is such a firm favourite in our house.

Pineapple upside down cake and Moomin Mamma

The problem with this cake is that you are left with half a tin of pineapple slices, that get forgotten then eaten for breakfast a couple of days later.  This time, however, because of the necessity to stay indoors due to the weather on Monday, I made some pineapple and coconut muffins.

I used this recipe from Baking Things Better, omitting the topping.  It made a different textured muffin, quite chewy and moist, and they were demolished in record time by the 18 year old in the house.

Pineapple and coconut muffin

Since then, the weather has of course improved, with some nice sunny days and warmer temperatures.  I’ve published so many pictures of Wellington in the sunshine, but it is really a stunning place to be when the skies are blue.

Another lunch time walk in the sun

Work today was taken up with cake, lots and lots of cake and other home baking, as part of a fund raising event for a charity in Nepal following last week’s devastating earthquake.  I honestly don’t think I have ever seen so much in the way of baked goods in one place.  I didn’t have time to bake anything myself, but did sample couple of gorgeous mini pastry pinwheels and a slice of a very moist and light apple loaf cake which was so good, I need the recipe.

Some of the cakes

More cake (you can’t see all of it either!)

By 11am, NZ$500 had been raised, with everyone buying something for morning tea.  The total by the afternoon was NZ$620, a fantastic sum given the numbers in the office.