TV chef Rosemary Shrager is uniting against dementia with Alzheimer’s Society by backing the charity’s Cupcake Day fundraising campaign this week.

Cupcake Day, taking place on Thursday, June 15, is uniting the public against dementia by encouraging families, friends and colleagues to bake or buy cupcakes to raise money for Alzheimer’s Society.

The culinary whizz has not only spoken out in support for Cupcake Day, but has also shared her tips for making the perfect cupcake:

Rosemary, who presented The Chopping Block on ITV and is a judge on BBC’s The Big Family Cooking Showdown to air later in 2017, said:

‘I’m delighted to be a part of Cupcake Day because it’s an event that’s great fun for all ages to get involved with and for such an important cause.

Whether you’re a whizz in the kitchen or a first-time baker, here are exclusive tips to help you create the perfect cupcake, courtesy of Rosemary:

When you’re making any form of cakes, the first thing is to make sure you whisk your butter and sugar properly, that’s very important – I think it’s quite nice to make the mixture fluffy with plenty of air bubbles.
The next step is to add your eggs and then you add your flour, folding the flour in nicely.
Make sure you add a rising agent to the mixture, ie self-raising flour or baking soda – as long as you do this the cakes will rise in the oven. The eggs are also a rising agent too.
The fun really begins with the topping and you can actually start experimenting– you can make the toppings different colours, putting colouring in the icing.

Try whipping a little bit of double cream into some curd cheese for a topping, or you could whisk some butter and some sugar for the top of the cakes, or simply top the cupcakes with icing fondant – anything goes!
Just try it and if it doesn’t work try it again. The most important thing is not to be rigid, to just experiment and to have some fun!

Michael Dent, Alzheimer’s Society director of fundraising, added:

‘With dementia set to be the 21st century’s biggest killer, we urgently need to unite so that dementia doesn’t win.

‘It’s great to know that Rosemary is backing Cupcake Day because it will raise vital funds to help people with dementia live the lives that they deserve now, and ultimately help fund research to find a cure.

‘From baking pros to novices, everyone can join in the fun. Whether you choose to celebrate on June 15 or mark the occasion another time in the month, there are no excuses not to get involved in Cupcake Day and rise against dementia.’

For full details please visit cupcakeday.alzheimers.org.uk