Lucky Recipes
Xmas Tree Cupcakes
Cooking Time: Approx 1 hour (inc prep)
Difficulty: EASY!
Serves: Makes 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
FOR THE CUPCAKES
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain flour (sifted)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa (sifted)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg (room temp)
• 125g natural yoghurt (room temp)
• 1/4 cup avocado or rice bran oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup boiling water (this intensifies the chocolate flave - incase you were wonderin')
• Mini m&m's for bauble decoration
• Dusting of icing sugar (for snow effect)
FOR THE FROSTING
• 60g butter (softened)
• 120g cream cheese (room temp)
• 250g icing sugar
• Quarter to a half a bottle of green food colouring (depending on the shade of green you like)
Method
FOR THE CUPCAKES
• Pre-heat oven to 180ºc.
• Place 12 cupcake cases into cupcake baking dish (pref black or brown to emulate the trunk of a Xmas tree).
• Mix all ingredients together with an electric beater until smooth & combined.
• Carefully pour cupcake mixture into cupcake cases (about 3/4 full, to give room for rising).
• Place into pre-heated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
• Allow cakes to cool fully on a wire rack before frosting.
FOR THE FROSTING
• Place butter, sugar & cream cheese into a mixing bowl & beat with an electric mixture until combined, smooth - yet stiff when peaks are formed. If it's too wet - add a little more icing sugar. If it's too stiff, add a splash of milk.
• Add the green food colouring, bit by bit until you reach desired shade of green for your Xmas Tree topping.
• Transfer frosting into a piping bag. Use a large star nozzle, and pipe out a Xmas Tree twirl on top of each cake.
• Decorate with m&m baubles (I just used the red, orange, blue & yellow ones).
• For the final touch, sift (from a heightened distance) some icing sugar over the top of the cupcakes, to create a snow capped effect on your wee Xmas Tree cupcake creations.
• Enjoy on their own - or with a big family sized tub of Tip Top Vanilla ice-cream.
• SO DELICIOUS!