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Christmas cupcakes

By Barney Desmazery

Have fun with the kids over the Christmas holidays making and decorating these easy cakes

Prep:20 mins
Cook:25 mins

Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 408
fat 20g
saturates 12g
carbs 53g
sugars 36g
fibre 1g
protein 5g
salt 0.31g

Ingredients

200g dark muscovado sugar
175g butter, chopped
700g luxury mixed dried fruits
50g glacé cherries
2 tsp grated fresh root ginger
zest and juice 1 orange
100ml dark rum, brandy or orange juice
85g/3oz pecan nuts, roughly chopped
3 large eggs, beaten
85g ground almonds
200g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp cinnamon
400g pack ready-rolled marzipan (we used Dr Oetker)
4 tbsp warm apricot jam or shredless marmalade
500g pack fondant icing sugar
icing sugar, for dusting
6 gold and 6 silver muffin cases
6 gold and 6 silver sugared almonds
snowflake sprinkles

Method

Tip the sugar, butter, dried fruit, whole cherries, ginger, orange zest and juice into a large pan. Pour over the rum, brandy or juice, then put on the heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring frequently to melt the butter. Reduce the heat and bubble gently, uncovered for 10 mins, stirring every now and again to make sure the mixture doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan. Set aside for 30 mins to cool.
Stir the nuts, eggs and ground almonds into the fruit, then sift in the flour, baking powder and spices. Stir everything together gently but thoroughly. Your batter is ready.
Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Scoop the cake mix into 12 deep muffin cases (an ice-cream scoop works well), then level tops with a spoon dipped in hot water. Bake for 35-45 mins until golden and just firm to touch. A skewer inserted should come out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Unravel the marzipan onto a work surface lightly dusted with icing sugar. Stamp out 12 rounds, 6cm across. Brush the cake tops with apricot jam, top with a marzipan round and press down lightly.
Make up the fondant icing to a spreading consistency, then swirl on top of each cupcake. Decorate with sugared almonds and snowflakes, then leave to set. Will keep in a tin for 3 weeks.

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