Christmas cupcakes

Hi all! It has been a long time since I had time to write a post (I still don't really, but I have 20 minute incubation time in the lab this morning). So seeing christmas is fast approaching and where would we be without a couple of festive recipes. Today, I will be sharing my cupcake recipes, the black forest cupcake and the good old chocolate orange cupcake. Tip number one, use colourful cupcake cases and not the regular plain ones (they simply ruin the festive season). Each recipe make 6 cupcakes, but just double the recipe if you want to make 12. 

Ingredients (black forest cupcake)

• 65g unsalted butter (at room temperature and VERY soft, you may need to put it on the window sill directly above the radiator for a little bit if you room is very cold
• 90g caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 100g self raising flour
• 1 tbsp coco powder
• 50ml milk (full fat or semi skimmed)
• 100g dark chocolate (at least 50% coco solid, melted and cooled) + extra for shavings
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• 120g morello cherries with kirsch 
• 150ml double cream (whipped until soft peaks)
• 20g icing sugar

1. Bring butter to room temperature and make sure it is soft. This can take a very very long time, especially in the winter. If you want to speed up the process, follow Mary Berry's method and cut butter into cubes and add in luke warm water to the butter and let it soften for 2-3 minutes and drain off the water
2. Melt 100g dark chocolate, set aside to cool and use 50g to pipe into the shape of christmas trees (makes about 6 trees)
3. Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees C (150 fan)
4. Line 12 well muffin tin with cupcake cases
5. Cream butter and caster sugar together and soft and creamy
6. Add egg, flour, coco powder and milk into the mixture and combine them all together
7. Fold in the melted chocolate into the cake batter
8. Divide the cake mix into the cupcake cases
9. Quarter 6 cherries and put 4x quarters into each cupcake cake
10. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until risen. Test with clean skewer and it should come out clean
11. Take it out of the oven and let it cool to room temperature
12. Whip the cream until soft peaks and fold in the icing sugar
13. Pipe cream on the cupcakes and decorate with the remaining cherries, piped chocolate tree
14. Use a fine grater to grate a block of chocolate directly above the cupcakes to decorate with shavings 

Ingredients (chocolate orange cupcakes)

• 65g unsalted butter (very soft and room temperature)
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 100g self raising flour
• 30ml of freshly squeezed orange juice
• Orange zest from 1 whole orange
• 30ml milk (full fat or semi skimmed)
• 120g dark chocolate (45-60% coco solid), broken into small pieces
• 70ml double cream 
• 1 tsp of orange extract

1. Make the chocolate orange ganache first by boiling the double cream with 25g caster sugar
2. Once the cream is boiled and sugar completely dissolved, take it off the heat and swirl it in the saucepan for a minute and add to the chocolate
3. Stir chocolate until it has melted and stir in 1 tsp of orange extract and about 1/3 of the orange zest
4. Leave the ganache in the fridge to firm up a little until piping consistency
5. Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees C (150 fan)
6. Cream the soft butter and 75g caster sugar together
7. Add eggs, flour orange juice to the mixture and mix slightly
8. Gradually add in the milk until everything the batter has been incorporated
9. Divide the cake batter into the cupcake cases
10. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until well risen and the skewer comes out clean when tested
11. Take it out of the oven and allow it to cool down to room temperature
12. Pipe the chocolate orange ganache over the cupcake