Alternative Christmas Cakes: Gifts For Christmas.
Looking for something a little different to bake this year?
How sweet are these Christmas cupcakes?
A tasty original alternative to Christmas cake.
Perfect for gifts for your guests.
Everything you could want in a cupcake, dried fruit, chocolate and booze!
How yummy!?
How To Make Alternative Christmas Cakes:
Ingredients:
Brandy Soaked Cranberries Chocolate Cupcakes:
Makes 12 cupcakes
130g plain flour
140g caster sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
20g cocoa powder
40g softened salted butter
1 egg
120ml whole milk
10ml vanilla extract
1 handful of dark choc chips (min 53% cocoa solids)
100g (freshly bought) dried cranberries
100ml cooking brandy
For The Icing:
300g icing sugar
100g salted butter
45g cocoa powder
30ml whole milk
10ml vanilla extract
Decorations:
Dark green fondant (m and b is best for this)
Poppy red fondant (regal ice)
White fondant
Equipment:
Muffin tray
Brown muffin cases
Rolling Pin
Icing sugar dispenser
All fondant
Small holly leaf cutter
Thin paintbrush and glass of water for glue
Star nozzle 848 and piping bag
Sieve
Mixer
Mixing bowls
Hob
Saucepan
Measuring jug
Spoons and measuring spoons
Cooling rack
Oven 170 for 20 mins
Alternative Christmas Cakes Method:
1.) Bring the brandy up to the boil on the hob then remove and add the cranberries.
2.) Cover with a lid and leave for one hour.
3.) Meanwhile, put the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl – flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa and butter (treat butter as ‘dry’ for our purposes).
4.) Mix until you have an even sandy consistency.
5.) Measure out the milk in a jug, add the egg and vanilla and whisk well.
6.) Drizzle into the flour whilst mixing, until you have a smooth batter/mixture.
7.) Add the chocolate chips and drained cranberries and mix in briefly without bashing into pieces.
8.) Reserve your brandy.
9.) Spoon evenly into 12 cupcake cases and bake at 170 degrees for 20 minutes until bounce back to the touch.
10.) Cool on a wire rack and in the meantime make the icing by mixing all the ingredients together for several minutes until light and fluffy.
11.) Pour in 10-20ml of your cooking brandy into the icing depending on the consistency – you should aim for something that holds its shape without being too stiff.
12.) Pipe the icing on top of the cakes using a reusable piping bag and large star nozzle.
To Decorate:
1.) Roll out a small amount of white fondant and cut with a circular cutter about 2 inches in diameter.
2.) Place with on top of your icing allowing folds to appear like a table cloth around the sides.
3.) Roll out some dark green fondant and either cut out three holly leaves if you have a cutter or mould three leaves if you do not.
4.) Place these on your fondant with a dab of a damp paintbrush.
5.) Roll three red berries from your red fondant and stick on top with the damp paintbrush to finish.
6.) For a basic cupcake recipe just use mine above and leave out the brandy soaked cranberries.
Alternative Christmas Cakes Recipe and photo credit by- – Food Network
What do you think of these Christmas Cakes?
Fancy making some?
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Orange And Cranberry Christmas Cupcakes.
Boozy Sultana Cupcake with Brandy Butter Frosting.
Some More Posts That Might Be Of Interest:
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Lovely cupcakes and such an easy recipe. However, I must tell that I being eating cake since Tuesday night until an hour ago because my girls and I have all of our birthdays celebrations were this week and I'm operating in a sugar high right now!
oooh these look delicious and a lovely portion size – so pretty.
@Ofelia Lovely to hear from you Happy Birthday to you all,I love operating in sugar mode 🙂
@Working london mummy Thanks for the comment 🙂
I think this is a great alternative to the Christmas cake. I'm a cupcake lover, so this is perfect for me. Thanks for sharing your recipe. I will keep checking back for more recipes. I'm a new follower. Following from Monday Mingle Blog Hop.
My cupcakes will never look like this… I try hard though! new from Monday Mingle I would love a follow back if you are interested!! Jeanobsession.blogspot.com
@Monica J @ Sofamilyonline Thank you for the comment,I'm glad you like the recipe,going to follow back now:)
@BeccaThanks for following and the comment,following back 🙂