Ah the start of the Christmas Baking! Hurrah! I’m def one of those people that doesn’t mention Christmas until the 1st December. I know a lot of people have been on it early this year given how pants 2020 has been but for me, if I put up the decorations too early it just prolongs the agony of normal life before the Christmas Hols!!
Growing up mummy used to always say the best part of Christmas is looking forward to it, and as a kid I thought she was mad cause like obviously Santa coming was the best part!! But now, in my wise old age she was totally right. Shame she’s not around to gloat with her trademark ‘I hate to say it, but I told ye so’!!😂
Anyway, this wee recipe is dead easy. No special creaming of the cupcakes. Just melt some butter and sugar and add flour and spices. Few things....when you sift in the flour, it’ll get a bit lumpy. Persevere with a whisk and beat it good and hard until the batter is smooth. Secondly, for the butter cream - when you add the melted butter and sugar it’ll go really runny. Put your mixer on medium speed and let it run until the buttercream has cooled and starts to whip into a nice thick consistency!
That’s it really! It’s a proper decent way to start the Christmas Baking. The ginger and cinnamon are proper homely and warming! If you don’t have any wee cupcake toppers, pour some caramel sauce on top or maybe top with a wee mini gingerbread man or something!👌🏻🎄🎅🏽
Cupcakes
200g butter, diced at room temperature
175g soft brown sugar
3 tablespoons of black treacle
130ml milk
2 large eggs
300g self-raising flour
1 tablespoon of ginger
1 heaped teaspoon cinnamon
Toffee Buttercream
200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
50g light muscavado sugar
3 tablespoons of milk
200g icing sugar
How to:
1. Preheat the oven to 160oC and line 12 hole muffin tray with cases
2. Add the butter, treacle and sugar into a heavy based medium sized saucepan and melt over a gentle heat
3. Into a large bowl, add the eggs and mix gently with a fork. Add the milk and mix again.
4. Add the melted butter mix into the eggs and milk in a slow and steady stream, constantly whisking as you add them together
5. Sift in the flour and spices
6. Using a whisk, beat the mixture gently until it all starts to come together. Keep beating until you get a smooth batter
7. Using an icecream scoop, add one scoop of the batter into each of the bun cases
8. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cupcakes have risen and are soft to touch
9. Leave the cupcakes in the muffin tray for approximately 10 minutes before carefully placing them onto a wire rack to cool completely
To make the buttercream
10. Melt 50g of the butter in a small, heavy based pan and add the muscavado sugar
11. Add 2 tablespoons of milk and stir to form a thick toffee sauce
12. Beat the other 150g butter in a standmixer until smooth. Sift in the icing sugar and beat until full combined. Add the sauce to the buttercream and mix until everything is well combined and mixed through.
13. Pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes and sprinkle with a light dusting of ground cinnamon
Comments