Short & Sweet: A touch of spice: Gingerbread cupcakes

A touch of spice: Gingerbread cupcakes

To kick off 2017 I thought I would start with a series of posts of six different cupcakes I made for family and friends as a Christmas present.

And why not elongate the festivities with these adorable mini gingerbread man cupcakes, which are sure to get the senses going.

The subtle taste of the cinnamon and ginger, combined with the salty taste of the caramel buttercream creates the perfect flavor combinations. In addition, the soft spongy cake, alongside the smooth buttercream and the crisp gingerbread makes for the ultimate mouthfeel.

Gingerbread cupcakes

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Makes: 9 Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Gingerbread cakes:

70g butter
100g caster sugar
1 free range egg
1 free range egg yolk
30g black treacle
30g golden syrup
150g self raising flour
1/2tsp ground ginger
1/2tsp nutmeg
120ml warmed milk

Caramel buttercream:

150g butter
300g icing sugar
3 tbsp caramel
1tsp milk (if needed)

Gingerbread:

175g plain flour
1 tsp ginger
1/2tsp ground cinnamon
60g butter
85g light soft brown sugar
1/2 free range egg
2tbsp golden syrup

Method:

Firstly, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, and line a cupcake tray with cases.

Next, cream together the butter and sugar until of a creamy, light consistency. Mix together the eggs, syrup and treacle until they are fully combined.

Now sift all the dry ingredients together, and mix together. Warm the milk.

Place half of the flour mixture into the butter mix and gently fold in. Then add half of the warm milk, and combine. Next add in the other half of the flour mixture, followed by the rest of the milk and mix until combined.

Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases using an ice cream scoop, until they are 2/3 full.

Place into the oven on the middle shelf for 25 minutes or until springy to the touch.

Once cooked, place onto a wire cooling rack.

For the mini gingerbread men sift together all the dry ingredients, and add the butter. Blend in a food mixer or crumb with your hands until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Then stir in the sugar.

Beat the egg and golden syrup together, add this to the mixture until it clumps together and forms a ball.

Tip the dough out onto a clean floured surface and kneed for a few minutes, or until the dough is smooth. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to cool.

Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.

Once the dough is chilled, place onto a floured surface and roll out the dough until of a thickness of a one pound coin.

Using mini gingerbread cutters, cut out the gingerbread men, placing them onto the prepared trays with roughly 0.5cm between each one.

Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown. Placing onto a wire cooling rack when baked.

To make the buttercream place the softened butter and the sifted icing sugar into a bowl and mix until of a smooth, creamy consistency. Then add the caramel until the mixture is of a pipe-able consistency. Place the buttercream into a piping bag with a plain nozzle fitted.

Pipe a circular 'blob' onto the top of each cake and sprinkle a small amount of ginger on top. To finish place a gingerbread man into the top of the buttercream.

I hope you enjoyed learning how to make these fun, tasty cupcakes that are sure to keep the festivities going a little bit longer.

Happy baking!