TWELVE DAYS OF BLOGMAS DAY ELEVEN: CANDY CANE LANE CUPCAKES

Hello Everyone and welcome to day eleven of the "twelve days of blogmas" and the third baking installment in the series. An obvious thing we can all associate with Christmas are Candy Canes, you know the yummy peppermint flavoured red and white striped sticks of joy? I love the mixture of mint and chocolate, as i think they work so well together so when you add cupcakes into the situation you know it's going to be amazing...

To make the cupcakes you will need:

12 cupcake cases

(with my cases the recipe only made 10 as they were larger cases)

150g self raising flour (sifted)

25g cocoa powder (sifted)

175g butter

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 large eggs

To decorate the cupcakes you will need:

300g icing sugar (sifted)

100g butter

40ml milk

red food colouring 

candy canes

Method:

Firstly you are going to want to pre heat your oven to gas mark 4/180c/350f and then line your baking tins with the cupcake cases. Then you are going to want to start on your cupcake mixture, take the sugar, butter, peppermint extract and eggs and place them all in your mixer or bowl whatever you prefer to use. Then you are going to want to start mixing the ingredients on a low speed and gradually add the sifted flour, cocoa powder and baking powder, then slowly start to speed up the mixer. Mix all together until combined and smooth. To make the topping you are going to want to place the icing sugar and butter in your mixer and beat the mixture together on a medium to slow speed until the mixture binds together. Turn the mixer down to a slow speed and the milk to the mixture a few spoon fulls at a time then turn the mixer up to a high speed. Continue to mix the mixture until it is light and fluffy this will take around 5 minutes. After that you are going to want to place half of the mixture into a separate bowl before adding a small amount of the red food colouring and mixing it into the frosting. Then taking a duo colour piping bag with each half of the mixture into the separate parts before piping onto the completely cooled cupcakes. All that is left to do then is smash up some candy canes into pieces and sprinkle over the top for decoration.

♥