Chocolate and Cranberry Cupcakes Recipe

I am still on a bit of a quest to add more classic baking and dessert recipes to this blog.

So, here is another classic cupcake, this time with a chocolate and cranberry base (a classic and really tasty combination).

Chocolate and Cranberry Cupcakes

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

150g (5 oz) butter, softened
175g (6 oz) caster sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
175g (6 oz) self-raising flour
pinch of salt
3 tbsp milk
100g (3 1/2 oz) white chocolate chips
75g (3 oz) dried cranberries

For the Topping:
100g (3 1/2 oz) butter, softened
200g (7 oz) icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
50g (2 oz) white chocolate, shaved into curls with a potato peeler
red sugar-coated sweets, to decorate

Method:

Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, a little at a time, beating thoroughly to combine after each addition. Now sit in the vanilla extract.

In the meantime, sift together the flour and salt into a bowl then fold this into the creamed mixture along with the milk, mixing until smooth. Add the chocolate chips and cranberries to a separate bowl. Toss with 1 tbsp flour (this helps prevent them from sinking in the batter) then fold into the cupcake batter.

Divide the resultant mixture between the wells of a 12-well cupcake tin (line with cupcake cases first). Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180ºC (350ºF, Gas Mark 4) and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top and well risen. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the buttercream, beat together the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl until pale and creamy. Spread this buttercream over the top of each cooled cupcake. Top with the white chocolate curls and the sweets.

For more cupcake recipes, why not visit the Celtnet cupcake recipes and information page.