also provide you with one of your five-a-day fruits! You can try using other berries in place of the blueberries, such as luscious raspberries.
You will need…makes about 12
175g (6oz) unsalted butter, softened
175g (6oz) caster (superfine) sugar
175g (6oz) self-raising (-rising) flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 large eggs, beaten
3 tbsp ground almonds
150g (51⁄2oz) blueberries
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Line your muffin tray (pan) with muffin cases (liners) and set to one side.
2 Place the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and eggs in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Beat on a slow speed and then increase the speed gradually for 2–3 minutes, or until well combined.
3 Stir in the ground almonds and blueberries.
4 Spoon the mixture evenly into the cases.
5 Bake for 18 minutes, or until risen and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Strawberry jam surprise
These delicious cupcakes have ground almonds added to the mixture for extra flavour. But the real wow factor here is the lovely jammy surprise you experience when you bite into the sponge. You will need a long, narrow piping tube for piping the jam into the baked cake centres.
You will need…makes about 12
115g (4oz) margarine or salted butter, softened
115g (4oz) caster (superfine) sugar
115g (4oz) self-raising (-rising) flour
55g (2oz) ground almonds
2 large eggs, beaten
3 tbsp (45ml) milk
For the filling:
about 4 tbsp strawberry jam
no. 230 (Bismarck) piping tube (tip)
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Line your muffin tray (pan) with muffin cases (liners) and set to one side.
2 Place all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Beat on a slow speed and then increase the speed gradually for 2–3 minutes, or until well combined.
3 Spoon the mixture evenly into the cases or fill a large disposable plastic piping (pastry) bag with the batter, snip off the end and pipe it into the cases.
4 Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until risen and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
5 When cool, fill another piping bag fitted with the no. 230 piping tube with the jam. Insert downwards into the centre of each cupcake and squeeze about a teaspoonful of jam into the cake centre, withdrawing the tube as you go.
Chocolate brownie
This makes fantastic cupcakes, but a word of warning – only choose this recipe if you have made your decorations and frostings in advance, as you need to bake, cool, decorate and eat these cupcakes in one day or they will turn crispy.
You will need…makes about 12
225g (8oz) dark (semisweet or bittersweet) chocolate pieces, callets or buttons
85g (3oz) salted butter, cut into pieces
2 large eggs, beaten
200g (7oz) soft dark brown sugar
140g (5oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
75g (23⁄4oz) pecan nuts, chopped
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Line your muffin tray (pan) with muffin cases (liners) and set to one side.
2 Put the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and place in a microwave oven on low for about 2 minutes, checking often, until melted. Stir well and leave to cool.
3 Meanwhile, place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer and beat on a medium speed. Add the vanilla extract and melted chocolate mixture and beat again. Spoon in the flour and mix on a slow speed until combined, then add the pecan nuts and mix again.
4 Spoon the mixture evenly into the cases or fill a large disposable plastic piping (pastry) bag with the batter, snip off the end allowing a large enough hole for the nuts and pipe it into the cases.
5 Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until firm to the touch but you will want them to be slightly moist in the centre. Cool on a wire rack.
Banana & macadamia
These cupcakes are tantalizingly exotic tasting, with their tropical fruit, rich nuts and warm spice. You can also use natural (plain) yogurt or sour cream instead of the buttermilk.
You will need…makes 12–15
210g (71⁄2oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1⁄4 tsp salt
1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon
1⁄8 tsp allspice
125g (41⁄2oz) unsalted butter, softened
300g (101⁄2oz) caster (superfine) sugar
2 large eggs
1⁄2 tsp (2.5ml) vanilla extract
100ml (31⁄2fl oz) buttermilk
1–2
