Snowflake cupcakes

As the temperatures plummet outside it’s a great idea to create festive cheer with snowflake cupcakes. When presented in a box tied with ribbon, these beautiful cakes make a fantastic gift.

You can buy snowflake-shaped cutters but I prefer piping the snowflakes as you can make each one look different. All you need is a steady hand. Ideally you should use a piping bag (I am a big fan of Lakeland’s Get a Grip bags) with a Wilton size 0 or 1M tip. However, if you don’t have any to hand you can use a strong freezer bag with the corner snipped off.

Use royal icing to pipe the detail as the snowflake needs to dry hard. The easiest way to make it is to buy “royal icing sugar.” This already contains the egg so all you have to do is follow the instructions on the packet and add water. The icing discs need to dry thoroughly before you attach them so you can either make them while the cakes are baking (as set out below) or make them first. You can also make the tops in advance and store them in a Tupperware box. Do not store the completed cakes in a tin as the moisture from the cakes will make the icing go sticky. They are best stored in a cardboard cake box as this allows the icing to breathe.

Snowflake Cupcakes

Serving size 4

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes

• 60 grams caster sugar
• 60 grams butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 60 grams self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoons milk

For the snowflake tops

• 150 grams blue sugarpaste icing
• 250 grams royal icing sugar

For the buttercream

• 100 grams butter, softened
• 200 grams icing sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon milk

Directions:

1. Beat together the butter and caster sugar until it is light and fluffy.
2. Stir in the egg and vanilla extract.
3. Fold in the flour and then the milk until the mixture is well combined.
4. Share the cake mixture between 4 cupcake cases.
5. Bake at 160 degrees C for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cakes are risen and cooked through.
6. Once baked, remove them from the cupcake tin and allow them to cool on a wire rack.
7. While the cakes are cooling make the tops. Roll out the blue sugarpaste until it is about 3 millimetres thick. Cut out four circles that are smaller than the diameter of the cupcakes.
8. Make the royal icing as instructed on the packet. Fit a piping bag with a size 1 or 0M tip then fill the piping bag with the icing.
9. Pipe your snowflakes directly on to the sugarpaste circles. Allow them to completely dry before sticking them on the cupcakes.
10. Once the tops are completely dry, make the buttercream. Beat together the butter, icing sugar, vanilla extract and milk until the mixture is light and fluffy. It is far easier to use an electric whisk to do this. Transfer the buttercream to a fresh piping bag with a Wilton 1M tip and pipe flat swirls on each cake.
11. Top the cakes with the snowflake tops then dust with edible glitter.

More baking ideas

Pesto biscuits
Tasty banana bread
Gingerbread mini bundts