Having made my speculaas last week I was so enamoured of the flavour of the spices that I wanted to make something else with them too. I decided to make some cupcakes and was all set to go when I discovered a recipe on Bakingmad for ginger and cinnamon cupcakes. Although I wanted to use the speculaas spices I just loved that recipe. So I decided to use that, but to substiture my spices.
The cupcakes are topped with a buttercream that has a caramel sauce mixed in and drizzled over the top. I think that is what I found so appetising about this particular recipe.
As ever with cupcakes they are easy to make and then it is simply a little extra work to make the buttercream and the sauce as well.
It is well worth the effort since mine turned out wonderfully well. The flavour of the spices is simply wonderful and the cupcakes so light and soft mixed with the sweet and flavoursome buttercream. Of course, you can use any combination of spices you wish, as long as you don’t put too much in. 1 1/2 teaspoons seems to be an ideal amount, giving a nice hit of spices but not too over-powering.
I made more spice mixture than I needed for the recipe, so that I would have some left over to use at a later date. So here I detail my particular mixture, but you can whatever you like.
Ingredients:
Spice Mix:
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground mace
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
Cupcakes:
- 150g self rasing flour
- 150g softened unsalted butter
- 150g light brown muscovado sugar
- 3 medium eggs(large in the USA)
- 15ml milk
- 1 1/2 tsp of spice mix(or 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ginger and a pinch nutmeg)
Frosting and Sauce:
- 200g softened, unsalted butter
- 50g light brown muscovado sugar
- 200g icing sugar
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp of spice mix
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F
- Line a muffin tin with paper cases
- In a large bowl whisk the butter and sugar together until nice and creamy
- Add the eggs, one at at time with a little flour, and whisk until fully combined.
- Add the milk and mix until combined.
- Put the spice mix into the remaining flour and mix together.
- Add the flour and spices into the wet mixture and gently mix until just combined.
- Spoon the mixture, in equal amounts, into the paper cases.
- Bake in the oven until risen and golden, about 15 to 20 minuntes, and a skewer poked in the centre comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- In a small saucepan place 50g of the butter and the 50g muscovado sugar together with 2 tablespoons of mik.
- Heat until it starts to boil and the sugar is fully dissolved. The sauce should thicken slightly.
- As the sauce cools place the remaining butter in a bowl whisk the butter to ensure it is nice and soft.
- Add the icing sugar and mix into the butter, carefully to avoid big clouds being released.
- When they are mixed together, even without being creamy, add the cooled sauce retaining 2.5 tablespoons for drizzling.
- Mix the sauce into the butter and sugar mixture until it is all smooth and creamy, adding milk only if required.
- If the consistency seems a little too soft for frosting add some more icing sugar until you achieve the consistency you wish.
- Place the frosting into a piping bag and pipe on the top of all the muffins(or just spoon it over if you wish).
- Drizzle a little of the remaining sauce on the top of the frosting.
- Allow to sit for a while for the frosting to firm up.
[…] as Christmas approaches, my Spiced Cupcakes for Christmas can be used for a lovely […]
What do you mean you're not very good at this? When I came across this video I watched it just to check out your mad piping skills! I think they look just like they came from a bakery.
Got to try your Speculaas spice cookies now and also these …man, am I going to be baking up a storm as soon as my wrist gets better enough to do things….
(as you can tell, all I do right now is look at recipes)
V.