Christmas Tree Cupcakes (Chocolate & Peppermint)

These Christmas trees featured alongside Mi's delicious red velvet cupcakes last Christmas and were part of our very first blog post! Unfortunately, the recipe was not included in that first post...just a pretty picture. So here it is...just in time for Christmas!

Chocolate Cupcakes:

Adapted from Nigella Lawson's basic vanilla cupcake recipe. 

125g self-raising flour
125g caster sugar
125g unsalted butter (softened)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons milk

• Take all of the refridgerated ingredients (butter, eggs and milk) out of the fridge ahead of time to allow them to come to room temperature. 
• Preheat the oven to 200°C.
• Put all of the ingredients (except the milk) in a large bowl and beat using an electric mixer or food processor until you have a smooth batter. 
• Add the milk and beat for another few seconds.
• Spoon the batter into a prepared cupcake pan. I used a mini cupcake pan.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes for mini cupcakes or 15-20 minutes for regular sized cupcakes.
• Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes approximately 34 mini cupcakes or 12 regular sized cupcakes.

Peppermint Buttercream:

125g unsalted butter (softened)

2-3 cups icing sugar (sifted)

1/2 teaspoon peppermint essence

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Green food colouring (optional)

• Beat the butter using an electric mixer until fluffy and pale.
• Add the icing sugar, 1 cup at a time. Beat after each addition. You can adjust the amount of icing sugar according to your own taste.
• Add the peppermint essence, vanilla essence and a few drops of green food colouring (I use the Wilton gel colours) and beat until combined.
• Attach a star shaped nozzle to a piping bag and fill the bag with the peppermint buttercream.
• Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, carefully pipe the buttercream on top. Start from the outside edges of the cupcake and move around in a circle. As you go around pull the bag up so you get a tall christmas tree. 
• Decorate the trees with sprinkles. I used bright sequins and topped each cupcake with a tiny yellow star.

Stay tuned for a banana bread and coconut version! Na xo