UK Scrappers Christmas Countdown - 13th Day

Cakes - well cupcakes to be exact are my thing - I'm sure I could make much more than just cupcakes but I just do not have the time.  I love making cupcakes and I do make lots at Christmas as I give them away as gifts to friends, family and staff that teach Sam at school.  I like to try new recipes from time to time and sometimes they require 'tweaking'. Christmas is all about comfort foods and spices and just lots of yumminess! So look no further than these 'Ginger Cupcakes with Butterscotch Frosting'

My 'go to' cupcake recipe books are the Hummingbird Bakery - they are my favourite and this is where the Ginger recipe came from, however they topped them with a lemon frosting which I didn't want. I chose to go with a Butterscotch frosting.

The trick of these is to use stem ginger soaked in syrup - do not use fresh ginger.  Fresh ginger will probably give a very harsh taste if you use it raw. The Ginger Cupcakes are made with stem ginger soaked in syrup which gives a lovely sweet, mellow ginger flavour. I always recommend using the ingredients listed in the recipe – they’ve been chosen for a good reason! The joy of supermarket shopping is you can get everything in your local one.  My cupcakes are topped with butterscotch pieces and crystallised ginger and finished off with an iced gingerbread man - making everything edible and even more yummy!

The colour of the sponge is divine - its that ginger/spice colour, light but moist - this is because of the syrup added and you will get sticky fingers eating them!

Enjoy this recipe and do come back and let me know if you made them and if they tasted good.

Hugs Sarah x x x x

 

 

Ginger Cupcakes.

120g Plain Flour

140g Caster Sugar

1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

a pinch of salt

40g of butter at room temperature

120ml milk

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

200g stem ginger in syrup finely chopped (and syrup reserved)

 

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, salt and butter in a freestanding electric mixer and beat on a slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined.

Mix together the milk, egg and vanilla extract, pour in slowly until all incorporated (scrap any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula).  Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth.  Stir in the chopped ginger by hand until evenly dispersed.

 

Spoon the mixture into paper cases until 2/3 full and bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and the sponge bounces back when touched.  While the cupcakes are baking, pour 100ml of reserved ginger syrup and 100ml of water into a small saucepan and bring to the boil.  Boil until reduced by one-third.  When the hot cupcakes come out of the oven, pour a small amount of syrup over each one.  Leave to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

 

Butterscotch Frosting

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/4 double cream

1 and 1/2 cup of icing sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

 

Melt butter in saucepan, over a medium heat. Add brown sugar and stir constantly with wooden spoon. After 2-3 minutes , sugar will melt and mixture will become smooth, then begin to bubble (its ok if it looks separated at this point).  Once this happens, stir constantly for 2 minutes.  Carefully add cream and stir for another two minutes.  Mixture will thicken slightly and look smooth and glossy.  Remove pan from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes, stir frequently.

Using your electric mixer mix together the icing sugar and vanilla - then slowly add the butterscotch to the icing sugar - if too thick or hard to work with, add a small amount of milk to 'loosen' it and this makes it easier to pipe using your piping bag. It can be a bit tricky to work with as it doesn't have the same consistency as normal buttercream frosting.

 

Enjoy x x x x