Farewell Ladybugs :: Ladybird Cupcakes

Today was the last day of our playgroup, and I was sad to see it close. But we went out on a high with a teddy bears picnic (indoors due to this damp 'British Summer').

We've barely unpacked from the wedding, but somehow I found an hour yesterday to make this appropriately themed cupcakes.  

The base is my basic sponge recipe, with strawberry icing (adapted from Claire Ptak's perfect strawberry cupcake recipe) and these cute sugar paste ladybirds.

Easter nest cupcakes

Just a quick Easter themed update, I've just whipped up some Easter Nest cupcakes for my Dad's visit this week ... OK, I say they're for my Dad but they're mostly for Mr S and the Kids ;)

They're basically just chocolate cupcakes with grassy green butter cream, a crumbled flake 'nest' and smartie/sugar bean 'eggs'. I added a bit of twist by using my mint chocolate recipe - not a particularly Eastery but they are Mr S's favourites (he's had 5 already).

My Signature Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

Every home baker has their signature 'go to' show stopper cupcake, I get asked a lot of this recipe from friends and family - its a closely guarded secret, but I think its time to share the wealth. I can't recall the original source of this recipe, but I have altered it over time and simplified where ever possible.

How to make the cakes:

This recipe will make about 12-15 muffin sized cupcakes.

(the cakes are egg, milk and butter free)

 1 1/2 cups of Plain flour

1/3 cup of Dark Cocoa powder

1 tsp Baking soda

1 cup Caster Sugar

1 pinch Salt

1 cup of cold water

1/4 cup plus 1tbs Vegetable Oil

1 tbs White Wine vinegar

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 tsp mint Extract

Step 1: Pre-heat oven to  180ºC/350ºF/gas 4 and prep your muffin trays and cases.

Step 2: Sift all the dry ingredients together into a large bowl: Flour, Cocoa, Baking Soda, Sugar and salt.

Step 3: In a medium bowl whisk all the remaining (wet) ingredients: Water, Vegetable oil, Vanilla, Mint and Vinegar.

Step 4: In the bowl of your electric mixer (or in a separate large bowl if using a hand mixer or wooden spoon) combine a third of your dry ingredients with about half of the wet and mix well.

Step 5: Add a further 1/3 of the dry and the remainder of the wet, and mix well (if using an electric mixer remember to use a spatula to scrap down the sides and make sure the mixture isn't sticking to the base).

Step 6: Add the last of the dry ingredients and mix for a further 2-3 minutes.

Step 7: The mixture will be incredibly runny, you can just spoon or pour the mixture into your cake cases, but a slightly less messy technique I've discovered is to pour the mix into a disposable piping bag, cut a small opening at the tip and then gently squeeze the mixture into the cases. Each case should be about 1/3 full.

Step 8. Pop your trays into the centre of your oven and cook for 20-25 minutes (or until a cocktail stick comes out clean when poked in the centre).

Step 9: Leave to cool.

The icing
(contains milk and butter)
125g of softened butter
300g Icing sugar
1 tbs cold milk
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tsp mint extract (add more to taste)
Green Food colouring paste
Chocolate decorations for finishing

Step 1: Cream together butter, vanilla and mint add the sugar little by little and the milk, mix until light and fluffy.

Step 2: Add the food colouring paste (a cocktail stick's worth at a time) till you reach your desired colour.

Step 3: Spoon into piping bag and ice the cooled cakes.

Step 4: Decorate.

Please let me know how you get on with making these, any suggestions or amendments to the recipe greatly accepted.