Gloverly Cupcakes

Time for another installment of the “party biscuit” cupcakes: Jammy Dodger cupcakes. These were just a mix of recipes I’ve made previously – my usual vanilla cupcakes, filled with jam, topped with vanilla buttercream, and my recipe for jammy bodger biscuits made into mini biscuits.

Here’s how to make the mini biscuits…

Jammy Dodgers (a Gloverly cupcakes creation)

Makes 9 large biscuits (see here) or loads and loads of mini ones!

125g unsalted butter

125g caster sugar

small pinch of salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 a large egg (keep the other half to make some of the other “party biscuits”

250g plain flour

2 tbsp smooth, seedless strawberry jam – stirred thoroughly with 1/2 tsp icing sugar

You will also need a small amount of vanilla buttercream for (see below for the recipe – you only need a small amount so I used what was left after making and icing the cupcakes. If you want to make a full batch of buttercream but aren’t making cupcakes at the same time then any leftover buttercream can be frozen).

Place the butter, sugar, salt and orange zest in a mixer and beat together until smooth and creamy. Beat the egg in slowly until fully mixed in.

Sift the flour in and mix until the dough just comes together. Bring the dough together in a ball, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Place the dough on a floured surface and knead briefly.  Roll the dough out to about 2-3mm thick and then cut out the desired shapes – I made 40 small circles and cut out even smaller circles from the middle of half of them. Place on a tray lined with greaseproof paper and then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Pre heat the oven to gas mark 3 (175°C)

Bake for around 6 (depending on the size of the biscuits – and bake the solid circle and the rings separately since the rings will brown/cook quicker) or until the biscuits are lightly browned around the edges.

Once the biscuits are baked leave them to rest for 30 minutes. Once completely cool, decorate as desired.

Place all the full circle on the side together and using a palette knife spread a small amount of buttercream onto each – don’t go all the way to the outside. Then place a dot of jam in the middle and spread it out evenly.

Take the “ring” shaped biscuits and place one on top of each of the jam and buttercream covered biscuits.

And to make the cupcakes to go with the biscuits here’s what you do….

Vanilla Cupcakes (from The Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days)

Makes 16

280g caster sugar

240g plain flour

80g unsalted butter

1 tbsp baking powder

pinch of salt

240ml milk

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

16 tsp of strawberry jam

Line 2 muffin trays with 16 cases. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5.

Mix the sugar, flour, butter, baking powder and salt together in a stand mixer (or rub in with your hands) until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Beat the milk, eggs and vanilla together in a jug and then gradually beat into the dry ingredients until smooth (ensuring that you scrape down the sides of the bowls after each addition).

Divide the mixture evenly between the 16 cases and then bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes until they are lightly browned on top and spring back when pressed (and a skewer comes out clean). Check them and turn them around after 15 minutes.

Take out the tins immediately and leave to cool on a wire rack. Once completely cool, cut a core out of each one, fill with a teaspoon of jam and then replace the core. The pipe with buttercream (see recipe below) and top with a mini jammy dodger.

Vanilla Buttercream (also from Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days)

500g icing sugar

160g butter

50ml milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the icing sugar and butter together on a very slow speed until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. I always put a tea towel over the top of my KitchenAid to prevent icing sugar going everywhere! Then slowly add the milk and vanilla. Once it’s all been added increase the speed and beat on high for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.

This is meant to ice 16 cupcakes but I always find I have some left over, so you can use the leftovers to sandwich the biscuits together.