gingerbread cupcakes

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

white christmas trees

there's not a lot to say about this recipe really, it's probably the most simple thing you could ever throw together and yet it tastes fantastic and with this clever little idea of turning it into a tree it looks even better. i'm a big fan of white christmas, i like to think of it as an adult version of chocolate crackles (not that chocolate crackles can't be enjoyed by adults, but you get me... they're a bit daggy) with this flavour combo of turkish delight, pistachios and craisins - it couldn't be more festive.

this recipe is perfect for christmas gifting, you can whip up a mix or two in no time at all and the cute cone trees make a delicious little gift perfect for a friend or colleague. picture them wrapped up in cellophane or displayed on a dessert table or even down the centre of the christmas table as an after dinner treat.

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the recipe

recipe makes 5 trees

white christmas

in a large bowl, combine the dry ‘mix’ ingredients and stir to evenly distribute.

in a microwave safe jug, melt the copha and white chocolate in 30 second bursts, stirring thoroughly after each burst until fully melted. allow to cool.

create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the melted chocolate mix, stir to combine.

pack the mixture into the ‘tree’ cones, tapping the sides of the cone gently to ensure the mixture reaches the tip. place the cones tip down into drinking glasses and refrigerate overnight.

alternatively you can spoon the mixture into cupcake papers to create individual serving portions.

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i hope these visuals help you when you're making these cute little trees, i promise you it's not difficult and the result is totally worth it. grab the recipe card and template below and give it a go yourself!

ever made white christmas? what's your go-to christmas treat you like to bake? tell me all the things in the comments below!

with love, timothy x

red velvet cupcakes

ahhhh red velvet - so simple and yet so delicious, like little cups of fluffy love and happiness topped off with the smoothness of cream cheese frosting - what's not to love. red velvet cupcakes hold a very special place in my heart, they're sort of the start of my baking journey. so basically if i've ever made you a red velvet cupcake - i love you a little bit ;)

with valentine's day fast approaching i thought it was only appropriate to share this recipe, don't get me wrong, you don't need to use that as an excuse to make these cupcakes but it's basically disrespectful not to make them on valentine's day. i like to think of red velvet cupcakes as the food of love, they're so moist and velvety and balanced with the perfect ratio of chocolate to vanilla and cupcake to frosting. so why not share your love with the cute humans in your life in the form of delicious red velvet cupcakes. i should also mention that it is very much acceptable to make yourself red velvet cupcakes for valentine's day - you deserve them!

let me share a secret with you, these red velvet cupcakes will get you anything you want - they're irresistible, and my go to way to get what i want.
i've made them to get out of uni homework, i've used them to say sorry, i've used them to say i love you, i've made them to sweeten business deals, used them to persuade friends to do things they don't want to - basically you can trade them for anything... ANYTHING ;)

the recipe

recipe makes 24 cupcakes

cupcakes

preheat the oven to 170oC / 150oC fan-forced. in a bowl, sift together the flour and cocoa powder – stir to combine; in a separate bowl or measuring jug, combine the buttermilk and food colouring – set both aside. in the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. add the eggs in one at a time, beating after each addition. beat in the vanilla extract, and scrape down the bowl. add one third of the flour/cocoa mix and beat on the lowest speed til combined, then add one third of the buttermilk/food colouring mix and beat again on the lowest speed until combined. repeat this process until all combined. scrape down the bowl to ensure all ingredients are evenly incorporated. combine the baking soda and vinegar in a small glass, stirring to ensure the soda dissolves in the vinegar, then stir the mix through the cupcake batter. use an icecream scoop to divide the batter between 24 cupcake cups or liners filling each one two-thirds full. bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes. cool completely before frosting.

frosting

in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. add the icing sugar gradually until a pipeable consistency is achieved (the frosting may need more or less icing sugar depending on the consistency of the cream cheese). the mixture should be thick enough that it has to be shaken off a spoon – not sliding off. stir through the vanilla until combined (at this point the frosting may need to be chilled to allow it to thicken).

pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes and serve - enjoy!

i'd love to see your creations, if you make these delicious red velvet cupcakes share them with me by using the hashtag #mrtimothyjames on social media.

ever made someone cupcakes to get what you want? are you your own valentine too, or is that just me? tell me all of the things in the comments below!

happy (early) valentine's day lovers xx