i'm not going to lie, i'm a little bit obsessed with gingerbread yet i never seem to find a reason to make it, but... cue christmas, the time of year when indulging your hearts desires is perfectly normal. so, i had an idea the other day to whip up a gingerbread house completely from scratch, because i've always wanted to make one myself and you know - two birds, one stone. but as life would have it, making a gingerbread house from scratch is much easier said than done, so as i stood looking at my completely miserable attempt at 2am i decided gingerbread houses just aren't my forte.
then came the next idea, a much more practical one if i do say myself, a fusion between two of my obsessions - gingerbread and cupcakes. these cupcakes are super delicous, moist, pack a punch of flaour and best of all they look adorable! if you're craving gingerbread this holiday season too, i hope you'll give these guys a go - they won't disappoint.
the recipe
recipe makes 12 cupcakes
cupcakes
preheat the oven to 160oC / 140oC fan-forced. in a microwave safe bowl, melt together the butter, chocolate, sugar, milk, vanilla and syrup in 30 second intervals stirring between each burst until smooth. cool for 15 minutes. once cooled, add in the egg and whisk to combine. in a separate mixing bowl, combine the two flours and two spices. add the combined wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in thirds, incorporating slowly and gently, you want to do this by hand as you don’t want to incorporate any air into the mixture. once the mixture is prepared, divide it amongst 12 cupcake liners filling each one two-thirds full. place the cupcakes on the bottom shelf of the oven, and bake for 30-40 minutes rotating the trays halfway through. cool completely before frosting.
frosting
in a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and cream in 30 second intervals, stirring thoroughly between each burst to make a ganache. set in the fridge to cool for 30minutes, or until thick and creamy. whip the butter for 5 minutes or until pale in colour. slowly incorporate the icing sugar until you have a thick buttercream. add the the cooled ganache and whip until soft and smooth. use a piping bag and nozzle to pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes, add some sprinkles for extra interest. chill cupcakes before serving, top with a gingerbread cookie and enjoy.
i'd love to see your creations, if you make these delicious cupcakes share them with me by using the hashtag #mrtimothyjames on social media.
are you obsessed with gingerbread too? have you ever tried to make a gingerbread house from scratch? leave me a comment below!
love and cupcakes timothy xx