Gingerbread cupcakes by McKinney’s and Catherine Fulvio
MAKES 12
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
For the gingerbread cookies
250g plain flour
1tsp bread soda (bicarbonate of soda) ½tsp ground cinnamon
½tsp ground ginger
120g butter
160g McKinney’s Rich Dark Brown Sugar
2 tbsps golden syrup
2eggs
For the cupcakes
120g softened butter
160g McKinney’s Light Golden Sugar 3 eggs
300g plain flour
½tsp ground ginger
¼tsp nutmeg
1½tsp baking powder ½lemon, zest only
50ml water
100ml milk
For the buttercream
100g softened butter 220g McKinney’s Icing Sugar 1tsp vanilla extract 4tbsps milk
For the topping
McKinney’s Royal Icing McKinney’s Caster Sugar
To prepare the gingerbread cookies
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Line a baking tray with parchment. Place the flour, bread soda, cinnamon and ginger into a food processor. Add the butter and blend until it resembles breadcrumbs. Mix the eggs and syrup together and add just enough to form a stiff dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and keep in the fridge for 30 minutes.
To shape the cookies
Roll out on a clean surface lightly dusted with flour to about 0.5mm. Using a gingerbread house cookie cutter or a sharp knife, shape the cookies, transfer onto the prepared baking tray. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes and then leave for 10 minutes on the tray before transferring to a cooling rack and set aside to decorate.
To prepare the cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/ gas 4. Place the cupcake cases into a muffin tray. Cream the butter and McKinney’s sugar together until pale. Whisk in the eggs, one by one. Fold in the flour, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg and lemon zest. Pour in the water and enough milk to form a cake batter. Spoon the mix into the cupcake cases. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes depending on the size. Leave to cool completely.
For the buttercream and to decorate
Whisk the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and milk for at least five minutes together until pale and fluffy. Make a small amount of icing using McKinney’s Royal Icing Sugar, following the on-pack method. Use a piping bag to decorate each cookie with icing. Spread some buttercream onto the centre of each cupcake and place a gingerbread house cookie on each. Use icing to glue the snowballs on top.