Christmas Cupcakes

These beautiful and classy little cakes make lovely gifts, and kids will enjoy decorating them too

• Cooking Time Prep 40 mins
  Cook 45 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Makes 12

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  833

• Protein

  9g

• Carbs

  139g

• Fat

  29g

• Saturates

  9g

• Fibre

  3g

• Sugar

  125g

• Salt

  0.44g

Ingredients

• For the batter
• 200g dark muscovado sugar
• 175g butter, chopped
• 700g luxury mixed dried fruits
• 50g glacé cherries
• 2 tsp grated fresh root ginger
• zest and juice 1 orange
• 100ml dark rum, brandy or orange juice
• 85g/3oz pecan nuts, roughly chopped
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 85g ground almonds
• 200g plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• For the icing
• 400g pack ready-rolled marzipan (we used Dr Oetker)
• 4 tbsp warm apricot jam or shredless marmalade
• 500g pack fondant icing sugar
• icing sugar, for dusting
• You will also need
• 6 gold and 6 silver muffin cases
• 6 gold and 6 silver sugared almonds
• snowflake sprinkles

Directions

1. Tip the sugar, butter, dried fruit, whole cherries, ginger, orange zest and juice into a large pan. Pour over the rum, brandy or juice, then put on the heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring frequently to melt the butter. Reduce the heat and bubble gently, uncovered for 10 mins, stirring every now and again to make sure the mixture doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan. Set aside for 30 mins to cool.
2. Stir the nuts, eggs and ground almonds into the fruit, then sift in the flour, baking powder and spices. Stir everything together gently but thoroughly. Your batter is ready.
3. Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Scoop the cake mix into 12 deep muffin cases (an ice-cream scoop works well), then level tops with a spoon dipped in hot water. Bake for 35-45 mins until golden and just firm to touch. A skewer inserted should come out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
4. Unravel the marzipan onto a work surface lightly dusted with icing sugar. Stamp out 12 rounds, 6cm across. Brush the cake tops with apricot jam, top with a marzipan round and press down lightly.
5. Make up the fondant icing to a spreading consistency, then swirl on top of each cupcake. Decorate with sugared almonds and snowflakes, then leave to set. Will keep in a tin for 3 weeks.

Categories: All Christmas, Cakes & Baking