October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I thought I would make some special cupcakes in lieu of this campaign. This campaign is one that is always close to my heart and I try to support it in any which way that I can. Breast cancer has touched many lives and without a doubt there is always some one around you that has fought this terrible disease... including my family.

Here are some facts about Breast Cancer ....

From Breast Cancer Network Australia.

More than 14,000 women and 105 men are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year alone. Thirty-eight Australian women are diagnosed every day and while survival rates continue to improve – today more than 88 per cent of women survive five years after diagnosis.

Despite improvements in diagnosis, treatment and management in recent decades, sadly seven Australian women will lose their lives to breast cancer each day - more than 2,700 each year.

Here is how breast cancer has touched my life ....

My grandfather (yes males can get it as well) was diagnosed with breast cancer in my early teens and he fought a good fight against it for 10 years. Unfortunately he succumbed to complications of the cancer 10 or so years ago now. It was devastating to lose my grandad to this disease that should affect women not men.... however it didn't stop there. His sisters were also diagnosed with breast cancer and succumbed to the disease as well. This type of cancer that he had was hereditary. A gene in our chromosone makeup possibly passed along from generation to generation.

Then came something even closer to home, my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was in my late teens. She was diagnosed through a routine mamogram. It was devastating to say the least. Her father (my grandfather) was still alive at the time and it was a VERY difficult time for everyone. I felt like a death sentence was hanging over our heads and the dark cloud of depression, fear, and anxiety was enormous. I thought my mum was going to die. Simple as that - cancer to me meant death. There is no cure, no remedies for this disease. My mum is a fighter! She battled and fought this cancer with all her might. My mum and dad had to travel to Brisbane for radiation treatment for my mum after she had the lump removed. This left my older brother, me and my young sister to fend for ourselves while she received this treatment during the week. Those weeks were hard trying to hold the family together and look after my little sister and brother. What didn't kill us only made us stronger!

Mum finsished her radiation treatment and waited for further test results to see that the cancer hadn't spread anywhere else. At that time we received good news that everything seemed to look good but she had to be checked regularly to see that it didn't return. My grandfather died after this and this cancer curse felt like it seemed to hang over our heads. A year or so later my mum got another routine mamogram and to her dismay cancer was found in the opposite breast. Devastation was just a small emotion that we were feeling - not again! My mum made the decision to have a full masectomy and full breast re-construction to stop the cancer in its tracks and give it no further foot hold to spread further.

My mum is such an inspiration and strong women. Oh she had her days but she wanted to beat this cancer and get her life back.... TO LIVE and see her children grow up and see her grandchildren. By God's grace she overcome the cancer and has been in remission for over 5 years now. I realized cancer does not mean death but it is a battle for life to overcome it. It is a journey in which I hope no one will ever have to travel but if you do know that there is hope!

Raising awareness is an important part of reducing the impact of breast cancer on Australian women and families.

So to show my support towards this campaign and raise awareness for Breast Cancer I decided to make these delicious Raspberry Kiss Cupcakes. They are simply delicious and would make a great item to use as a fundraiser towards raising money for the Breast Cancer Foundation. Why not hold a morning or afternoon tea and charge your friends a couple of dollars for a cupcake and a cuppa. It's as easier as that.

Raspberry Kiss Cupcakes

apapted from Sweetapolita's - Strawberry Layer Cake

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Keywords: bake snack dessert cupcake

Ingredients (24 cupcakes)

For the cupcake

1 1/2 cup sugar
1 x 85g pkt of raspberry flavoured jelly
1 cup butter
4 eggs
3 cups SR flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 tbsp vanilla essence
1 cup frozen raspberries
pink food paste colouring

For the Icing

2 cups icing sugar
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
hot water

Instructions

For The Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and place out cupcake papers into muffin tins.

In a microwave safe bowl add the frozen raspberries and place in the microwave for 30-40 secs or until the raspberries are defrosted. Using a fork mush the raspberries up to a puree. Add the milk and vanilla essence and combine. Set aside.

In a electric mixing bowl add the butter, sugar and jelly crystals. Beat until light and creamy.

Place the eggs in one at a time until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

Add the sifted flour, baking powder and salt into the butter mixture alternately with the milk mixture. Mix until just combined. Colour the mixture with pink food paste food colouring until the desired colour is reached

Divide the batter among the cupcake papers and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

For The Icing

In a bowl sift the icing sugar and add the butter and vanilla essence. Mix with a spoon until combined.

Add a tablespoon of hot water and mix. Repeat until the mixture is a spreadable consistency.

If the mixture gets too runny add some more icing sugar.

Ice the cupcakes once cool and decorating with silver balls.

I used this recipe for the Chocolate & Raspberry cupcakes I made for my sisters baby shower and her birthday cupcakes. They were a hit all round. I also bought the leftover cupcakes to my old workplace for morning tea the other morning and I don't think they had a complaint either. Went down with a smile on there faces.