Gloverly Cupcakes

Last weekend we had a Reunion/ Christmas get together with our NCT friends, which we offered to host. Baking with a 7 week old baby is challenging, but I was desperate to bake something Christmassy and fun!   I chose a design that could be done in stages so I could fit it in around looking after little Emily. Click

I really wanted to make chocolate mint cupcakes, but only realised half way through making the chocolate mint cake mixture that I didn’t have enough peppermint essence, usually I would just pop down the road to the local supermarket, but it takes a lot more effort with a baby, so I ended up doing a mildly minty chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream. But here is the recipe I would have used, it’s adapted from the Hummingbird Bakery:

Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes (from The Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days)

Makes 16 (the recipe says makes 12-16 but I always get 16!)

280g caster sugar

200g plain flour

40g cocoa powder

80g unsalted butter

1 tbsp baking powder

pinch of salt

240ml milk

2 eggs

2 tsps peppermint essence

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

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

Beat the milks, peppermint essence and eggs 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). I usually check them and turn them around after 15 minutes.

Take out the tins immediately and leave to cool on a wire ready. Decorate once completely cool.

Peppermint Buttercream (also from Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days)

500g icing sugar

160g butter

50ml milk

4 tsp peppermint essence

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 peppermint essence. Once it’s all been added increase the speed and beat on high for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. This was then smoothed into a dome on the tops of the cupcakes and they were put in the fridge to firm up. Once firm I cut out circles of white sugar paste and smoothed these over the top of the butter cream before dusting with shimmer dust.

At the start of the week I used the snowflake plunge cutters to cut out loads of snowflakes and left them out to dry out and harden up. I needed two of each size snowflake for each cupcake but made quite a few extra in case they broke. I just used white sugar paste, but if I made them again I would think about adding some CMC cellulose gum to it to make it more stable as a lot of them cracked when I tried to move them.

Later in the week when they had dried out enough, I stuck two of the same size together. I used a small amount of royal icing on the bottom snowflake, then I stuck a small ball of sugarpaste on and then another small amount of Royal icing on top before very gently pressing another snowflake on top, ensuring that branches were in between the gaps of the one below. A few hours later once these had dried, I then stuck the 2 medium sized snowflakes on top of the 2 large snowflakes using Royal icing and sugar paste and left them to dry. I then stuck the 2 smaller ones on top and topped with a tiny snowflake sprinkle.

Once they were dried out I dusted them very carefully with a shimmer dust and piped tiny red dots on the end of each branch. I then stuck the trees on using a bit of Royal icing.

The cakes went down really well and all 7 babies were very well behaved!