Saturday 12 December 2015

VICTORIA: FLOWER SURPRISE CUPCAKES!

Reader Victoria decided to test out one of the recipes from THE CHOCOLATE BOX SECRETS… with brilliant results! A perfect make for the run-up to Christmas!

Victoria says:
I bake a lot, and this recipe will become one of my regular favourites. In the book, they're called 'Flower Surprise Cupcakes' but I left out the flowers and used jam and chocolate spread as fillings because we didn't have lemon curd. They turned out really well and I loved having different fillings and having a surprise when you bit into one, as the outside looks the same. My brothers Robert and Douglas loved them too… I had to ration them to make them last!

The cakes: you will need:
110g butter
110g caster sugar
110g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 medium eggs, beaten
strawberry jam, lemon curd or chocolate spread!

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180c/350f/gas mark 4. Place 12 paper cases in a muffin tin.
2. Beat butter & sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy.
3. Sift in flour and baking powder, add vanilla extract and beaten eggs. Beat until smooth.
4. Spoon mix into paper cases and bake for 15-20 mins until cakes have risen and look golden brown and firm.
5. Cool for 10 mins then move onto a wire rack.
6. When completely cool, use a small, sharp knife to cut a small hole in the top of each cake, halfway into the centre.
7. Fill the holes with jam, lemon curd or chocolate spread.

Icing: you will need:
110g softened butter
220g icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
a little milk to loosen mix if required
food colouring optional

Method:
1. Beat the butter until fluffy, then beat in icing sugar a little at a time.
2. Add vanilla extract to soften mix and add a little milk to loosen if needed.
3. Add a tiny drop of food colouring of your choice if you like.
4. Pipe onto cupcakes with a piping bag, or spread carefully on with a knife.

Cathy says:
Oooh… these look even better than the ones I made when testing out this recipe! Well done, Victoria! Have YOU got a copy of CHOCOLATE BOX SECRETS yet? It's perfect for the creative, arty or baking crazy kind of reader. Add it to your Christmas list while you still have the chance, and COMMENT BELOW to tell us whether you love baking too...

1 comment:

  1. Brilliant thank you, Victoria very excited reading this, the cakes were delicious! X

    ReplyDelete

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