Alternative Christmas Cakes: Gifts For Christmas

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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Irish Coffee Cupcakes?

Mini Christmas Cakes: How Sweet And Adorable?

Orange And Cranberry Christmas Cupcakes.

Boozy Sultana Cupcake with Brandy Butter Frosting.

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