Ok these cupcakes are not really going to break the internet, I know it.
It's a delicious cupcake recipe, to be truthful it's actually kinda perfect all by itself. But sometimes I like a little bit of sparkle, some redirection to make everyone take notice and look.
So I took my cupcake and baked it in a shiny, shiny case. These ones are from Robert Gordon Australia and come in gold and silver, I bought them at Baking Pleasures and you bake the cupcake directly in them on a baking tray.
They are pretty awesome, you know, only the best for my cupcake.
Then I added some white chocolate shards with edible gold/ silver leaf, white sprinkles, soft sugar pearls# (soft sugar pearls in gold and silver from Queen Australia) and a few white pearl sixlets# (candy coated chocolate).
Oh and of course I did a little posing and photo shopping ;)
They turned out pretty sweet huh! They would be perfect for New Year celebration or anywhere you would like to add a bit of eye candy with not too much effort.
#soft sugar pearls and sixlets are edible and most importantly are not hard they are as the title suggests soft so you will not break your teeth biting into this cupcake.
Instructions
Cupcakes (recipe below)
Frosting (recipe below)
white sprinkles
white chocolate shards (instructions below)
white, gold and/or silver soft sugar pearls
white sixlets
Using a knife or offset spatula top cupcakes with frosting, place white sprinkles in a dish and dip top of each cupcake into the white sprinkles.
Gently push 2 white chocolate shards into the cupcakes and make sure they stand up.
Add gold and white soft sugar pearls randomly on top of cupcakes and then add a few white pearl sixlets.
White chocolate shards with gold (or silver leaf)
Melt around 200g white chocolate and spread on baking paper around 2mm (1/8") thick allow to cool and then slice into randomly shaped triangles.
It was quite hot here so I popped mine in the fridge for a tad too long which resulted in the shards breaking a little when I cut them. If that starts happening just leave them out at room temperature a little bit and it will soften a little and not be so brittle.
Turn the triangles over so you are working on the flat edge (the side that set on the paper will be flat).
Using a clean brush dab a teeny amount of water on the chocolate triangle, you just want it to be slightly damp so wipe the brush on a paper towel to make sure it is barely wet.
Press the silver leaf transfer with the silver leaf facing down towards the chocolate triangle and rub your finger (or a cake tool) randomly on bits of the triangle. Pull the transfer off and allow the gold leaf to dry/set.
Chocolate cupcake recipe makes 18
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp bicarb soda (baking soda)
1/4 baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup cool water
115 g unsalted butter (4 oz butter) room temperature cut into small squares
1 1/4 cup caster sugar (superfine) use regular white sugar if caster sugar not available
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 160 C fan forced (325 F) and place 18 cupcake cases onto a baking tray.
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Mix the hot water and cocoa to make a paste then add the cool water mix until well combined, set aside.
In a large bowl of a stand mixer mix together butter and sugar at high speed until well creamed (about 2-3 mins).
Reduce speed to low and mix in eggs then vanilla mixing until well combined.
Add 1/3 of the flour, mix until just combined then add 1/2 the cocoa mixture, mix again until combined and scrape down sides. Add another 1/3rd of the flour, mix, add the remainder of the cocoa mix and scrape down sides then add the final flour and mix until completely combined.
Scoop mixture into cupcake cases until 2/3 full and bake for 18 - 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the cupcake comes out clean.
Simple Vanilla Frosting
115g (4 oz) unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups icing sugar mixtur (confectioners sugar) sifted
2 Tbsp milk (US 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Add all ingredients to the bowl of a large stand mixer and mix at high speed for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Shopping Notes
Robert Gordon cupcake cases - Baking Pleasures CLICK HERE
Gold and silver edible leaf - Baking Pleasures CLICK HERE
Queen sugar pearls (available IGA or Woolworths Australia) CLICK HERE
Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go!
. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores. This post is not sponsored by any of the companies mentioned and I purchased all the products myself however I am related to the owner of Simply Sweet Home
Amazon affiliate links may earn me money and contribute to supporting this blog.
Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission.
