gingerbread cupcakes
- 1½ cups (225g) self raising (self-rising) flour, sifted
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon mixed spice
- ¾ cup (165g) brown sugar
- 125g unsalted butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup (80ml) milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 22 x 5cm store-bought gingerbread men biscuits
honey butter icing
- 250g unsalted butter, softened
- 1¾ cups (280g) icing (confectioner’s) sugar, sifted
- ¼ cup (90g) honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F).
- Place the flour, ginger, mixed spice, sugar, butter, eggs, milk and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed for 6 minutes or until pale and smooth.
- Spoon the mixture into 12 x ½-cup-capacity (125ml) tins lined with cupcake cases. Bake for 22–25 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
- Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the honey butter icing, place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 6–8 minutes or until pale and creamy.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the icing sugar, honey and vanilla and beat for a further 10–15 minutes or until pale and fluffy.
- To decorate, crush 10 of the biscuits to a fine powder and set aside. Spoon the icing onto the cupcakes and smooth with a palette knife. Roll in the crushed gingerbread to coat and top each cupcake with a gingerbread man biscuit to serve. Makes 12.
© DONNA HAY GROUP
