Our Cupcakes

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Winter Tales Recipe and Tutorial: Peppermint Forest Cupcakes

We commence the frosty yet festive season with a collection of winter themed cupcake recipes and tutorials created to help make your party stand out and keep the frazzled stress levels at bay. These adorable and sweet (no pun intended) Peppermint Forest cupcakes evoke a crisp Winter Wonderland paired with Germanic fairytales and a childhood favourite board game for the American-bred half of Juniper Cakery… Candyland! We loved the idea of this so much that all of our ‘Winter Tales’ recipes and tutorials encompass a fairy tale-esque theme. Why not try our recipe and cupcake decorating tutorial for a truly magical batch of treats!

Peppermint Forest Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Peppermint Forest Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Peppermint Cupcake Recipe (makes approx. 12 cupcakes)

226g self raising flour
226 butter
226g caster sugar
4 eggs
6-12 drops of natural peppermint extract

Pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 3 / 160C / 325F and line a cupcake pan with cupcake cases. Cream your butter and sugar first. When creamy add your eggs and vanilla extract. When combined together it is time to add the flour. Mix well until silky and pour the batter into your cases. Bake for around 20 minutes to 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean when tested.

Peppermint Buttercream Recipe

250g butter
250-300g icing sugar (keep testing when adding to make sure it is the consistency and sweetness YOU’D like)
6-12 drops of natural peppermint extract
Pink gel paste food colour
White nonpareils to sprinkle
White edible glitter to sprinkle
828 open star piping tip

Dice the butter into pieces and add half to your mixer. Once the butter is smooth gradually add icing sugar and the remaining butter (also diced into cubes) until you get a smooth, creamy texture. Add the flavour to taste.

For more hints and tips see our tutorial on how to make buttercream here.

How to Make Your Peppermint Forest

You will need…

60g white candy melts
Disposable piping bag
White nonpareils to sprinkle
White edible glitter to sprinkle
2.5 PME Writing Piping Tip
Baking or parchment paper

Step one: Lay out a flat sheet of baking parchment paper (you may need more depending on how many trees you’d like to make).

Step two: Melt the candy melts by stirring them in a glass bowl set over a pan of boiling water. If you decide to melt them in the microwave take care not to burn them as they would become unusable.

Step three: Fit a disposable piping bag with the writing tip.

Step four: Add the melted candy melts into the disposable piping bag you just prepared.

Winter Tales Peppermint Forest Cupcakes

Step five: On the baking or parchment paper(s) pipe out some tree shapes varying from around 1.5cm to 6cm. Whilst still melted sprinkle with edible glitter or sprinkles. Leave to set.

Step six: Pipe your cupcakes generously with your lovely pink peppermint buttercream. We used the 828 open star piping tip which can be found at the link provided.

Step seven: Once your trees have hardened carefully lift them from the paper and insert them into the buttercream atop of your cupcakes. Nestle enough in to create a charming candy forest!

Step eight: Once your trees are in place sprinkle them with white edible glitter and white nonpareils.

You should now be left with a pretty collection of peppermint cupcakes festooned with festive candy Christmas trees; perfect for a sweet winter treat!

Peppermint Forest Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Peppermint Forest Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

 

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Autumn Recipe and Tutorial: Golden Apple Strudel Cupcakes

These addictive and decadent Golden Apple Strudel cupcakes are perfect to satisfy an autumnal sweet tooth. They are crumbly, soft cakes with brown sugar, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice baked in, filled with chunky homemade apple sauce, swirled with apple buttercream and topped with a gold dusted fondant apple; wonderfully simple and tempting, we’re sure you’ll agree!

Autumn Golden Apple Strudel Cupcakes

Autumn Golden Apple Strudel Cupcakes

Strudel Cupcakes Recipe (makes approx. 12 cupcakes)

226g self raising flour
226g butter
226g brown sugar
4 eggs
2 handfuls of raisins or sultanas (for some boozy decadence leave these to soak in a teacup of whiskey overnight before adding into your batter - remember to drain the whiskey first before adding to avoid sloppy, overly moist batter)
2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoon allspice

Pre-heat your over to Gas Mark 3 / 160C / 325F and line a cupcake pan with cupcake cases. Cream your butter and sugar first. When pale and creamy add your eggs, spices and raisins. When combined add the flour. Mix well and then pour your silky batter into your cases. Bake for around 20 minutes to 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean when tested.

Autumn Golden Apple Strudel Cupcakes

Apple, Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Filling

5 large cooking apples
3 teapsoon cinnamon
140g brown sugar
14 tablespoons water

Peel and chop up your apples in chunks around 1cm in size. In a saucepan add the chopped apples, cinnamon, brown sugar and water on high heat. Bring to boil and then lower the heat to medium and let simmer until the apple pieces have softened and the water has reduced a little. Take off the heat and mash before pouring into a jar. Leave to cool. Once cooled down you can core your cupcakes with a good cupcake corer and spoon your delicious apple mixture inside.

Apple Buttercream Recipe

250g butter
250-300g icing sugar (keep testing when adding to make sure it is the consistency and sweetness YOU’D like)
6-12 drops of natural apple essence

Add half of the of butter diced into pieces. Cream the butter in a mixer. Then gradually add icing sugar and the remaining butter (cut into cubes) until you get a smooth, creamy texture. Add the flavour to taste.

For more hints and tips see our tutorial on how to make buttercream here.

Autumn Golden Apple Strudel Cupcakes

How to Make the Golden Apples

To make your golden apple cupcake toppers you will need…

Golden coloured sugarpaste / fondant (we coloured ours with Caramel / Ivory gel paste food colour)
Small leaf plunger cutter
Edible glue
2 paintbrushes (one for the glue and a dry one for applying lustre dust - remember to use brushes that have ONLY been used on/for food items)
Gold lustre dust
Taped modelling tool
Fondant rolling pin
Icing sugar

To make classic red apples instead you will need…

Red sugarpaste / fondant (use Christmas Red gel paste) for the apples
Brown sugarpaste / fondant (use Dark Brown gel paste) for the stalk
Green sugarpaste / fondant (use Juniper Green gel paste food colouring) for the leaf
Small leaf plunger cutter
Edible glue
1 paintbrush (remember to use brushes that have ONLY been used on/for food items)
Taped modelling tool
Fondant rolling pin
Icing sugar

Autumn Golden Apple Strudel Cupcakes

Step one: Shape some sugarpaste / fondant into the body of your apple. Begin with a ball and smooth your fingers over it to create a slightly tapered base and rounded top.

Autumn Golden Apple Strudel Cupcakes

Autumn Golden Apple Strudel Cupcakes

Step two: For the leaf simply roll out some sugarpaste / fondant onto an icing sugar dusted surface and use the plunger cutter to cut out a small leaf. Leave on a curved surface (e.g. a teaspoon) to dry into a more natural shape. OR you could shape a small piece of sugarpaste into a leaf shape and indent the centre with a line using a veining tool.

Autumn Golden Apple Strudel Cupcakes

Step three: To create the stalk shape a small amount of sugarpaste / fondant into a apostrophe-like shape with a flat top.

Step four: Attach the stalk and leaf by pushing the tapered modelling tool into the top of the apple, add a dab of edible glue into the indent for the leaf, insert the stalk into the top of the apple and lightly press the leaf next to the stalk where you’ve applied some edible glue.

Step five: If you’re creating golden apples leave your apples to dry fully. Once dry dust generously with gold lustre dust. Leave to sit for a few minutes before dusting again until you get a gorgeous glimmering gold!

Now you have your own Golden Apple Strudel cupcakes; perfect for any seasonal party!

Autumn Golden Apple Strudel Cupcakes

 

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Halloween Tutorial: D.I.Y Monster Cupcakes!

Here is our third instalment of our fang-tastically ghoulish Halloween Tutorial series for this month! This week we show you how to whip up and decorate a batch of fun D.I.Y Monster Cupcakes. These vibrant cakes are perfect for getting children involved with creating some spook-tacular Halloween party treats (they’re also great for fun-loving grown ups too). The great thing about these cupcakes is that you can sit and make a selection of different eyes, tentacles, teeth etc and mix and match them to form your own monsterous creation. We’re sure you’ll think these cupcakes are so ‘ghoul’ you’ll want to scare everyone away rather than share them!

D.I.Y Monster Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

D.I.Y Monster Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

What you will need…
A batch of piped cupcakes in bright colours (we used Vine green, Grape/Violet and Orange)
3 brightly coloured balls of sugarpaste / fondant
1 ball of white sugarpaste / fondant
Toothpicks (cut the sharp ends off if planning to decorate these with kids)
Fondant rolling pin
Ball tool (with a larger and smaller ball on each end)
Edible glue
Sprinkles (optional)
Edible glitter (optional)
Scissors
Paint brush
Icing sugar or cornstarch to dust your surface
Candy melts
Disposable piping bags

D.I.Y Monster Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Step one: Pipe some generous swirls atop your cupcakes in a variety of colours. We used 809 (open round tip), 868 (fine toothed pastry tip) and 828 (larger toothed pastry tip).

D.I.Y Monster Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Step two: To make eyes roll out balls of white sugarpaste. Indent them with a large ball tool and apply some edible glue inside the impression. Roll up a smaller ball of coloured sugarpaste and gently press this into your white ball. Indent the smaller ball with a smaller ball tool. Roll up another colour in an even smaller size and press this in. Finally take a toothpick or blade tool and create indented lines to create an iris.

D.I.Y Monster Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Step three: After making the eyeballs you need to assemble them onto toothpicks to position them into your cupcakes. To help stop them sliding down the toothpicks apply a bit of melted candy melt into your toothpick where the eyeball will fit. Before it sets slide your eyeball onto the top and leave to dry. If you’re ready you can insert the eyes into your cupcake when set!

D.I.Y Monster Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery D.I.Y Monster Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

D.I.Y Monster Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Step four: To create teeth simply play with white fondant to create sharp fangs, picket fence-style buck teeth or more human shaped dentures.

D.I.Y Monster Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Step five: When it comes to tentacles shape some coloured sugarpaste / fondant into a variety of ‘slug’ shapes (make sure these are long enough to sit from your cupcake to your chosen surface… e.g. plate or cake stand). Add some ‘suckers’ by indenting with a small ball tool, some edible glue and small rolled up balls of coloured sugarpaste.

Step six: Try adding some extra customisation with sprinkles, cut out sugarpaste shapes or edible glitter!

D.I.Y Monster Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery D.I.Y Monster Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

D.I.Y Monster Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Step seven: Now for the super fun part! Design and decorate your cupcakes with as many eyes, teeth, tentacles, spots etc as you wish.

D.I.Y Monster Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

By the end of this tutorial you should be left with a batch of monsterous treats perfect for petrifying parties and spooky soirées!

 

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Halloween Recipe and Tutorial: Red Bloody Velvet Cupcakes!

We’ve had a lot of requests for our Red Velvet Cupcake recipe over the past few months, which we’ve saved especially for this ghastly yet fun recipe and tutorial; Red Bloody Velvet Cupcakes! They’re great for petrifying parties or spooky soirées and are a perfect conversation starter at any Halloween hootenanny! These cupcakes are a lovely light cocoa red velvet cake swirled with delicious vanilla pod infused buttercream, stabbed with a shard of sugar glass and dripping with ‘blood’. Certainly a gruesome gourmet cupcake for the Halloween festivities!

Red Bloody Velvet Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Red Bloody Velvet Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Basic Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe (makes approximately 12 cupcakes)

Here is our recipe for perfect Red Velvet Cupcakes which we have used for years now and never fails to bring a smile to everyone’s face! We have had some people query the use of buttermilk and cider vinegar in general Red Velvet recipes (this one included) and whilst you can simply add some cocoa powder and red gel food colour paste to your normal cupcake recipe the point of a Red Velvet Cake is that it encompasses a gorgeously fluffy, velvety texture (hence the name) which is produced by the addition of these two ingredients. Baking is a science so it really helps to understand what ingredients you’re adding and why! To help we’ve typed up a quick description of what buttermilk and cider vinegar do!

Buttermilk is an acidic ingredient which essentially tenderises the gluten in cake recipes creating a softer feel and a better rise.

Cider Vinegar is also acidic and reacts with the bicarbonate of soda in cake recipes to create carbon dioxide whilst baking which helps baked goods to rise.

125g plain flour
1 tablespoons cocoa powder (sifted)
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
50 grams soft unsalted butter
100 grams caster sugar
1-2 teaspoons of red gel paste food colouring
6-12 drops vanilla extract
2 medium eggs
90 ml buttermilk (When we began whipping up Red Velvet cakes buttermilk was pretty much unheard up in UK shops. Fortunately, you can now purchase buttermilk in Tesco and Asda stores, BUT you can make a buttermilk substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice per cup of full fat milk and leave to stand for 5 minutes.)
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
12 cupcake cases

Pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 3/325F/170C.

Mix the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl.

Now for one of the fun parts… In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until soft and pale. Then add in the red gel paste food colouring until a gorgeous rich red shade.

Gradually add in the dry ingredients along with the eggs to your lovely rubescent butter and sugar mixture. Then add in the buttermilk and cider vinegar!

Fill your cupcake cases until 2/3 full and place on the top shelf. Bake for around 20/25 minutes.

Basic Vanilla Buttercream Recipe

250g butter
300-350g icing sugar / confectioner’s sugar
1 bourbon vanilla pod
Piping tips (we used the large round 808 tip by Ateco)

Add half of the of butter diced into pieces. Cream the butter in a mixer. Then gradually add icing sugar and the remaining butter (cut into cubes) until you get a smooth, creamy texture. Add the seeds inside of the vanilla pod by slicing the pod lengthways and scraping the little seeds out with a knife.

Red Bloody Velvet Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

‘Blood’ Recipe

1/2 - 1 teaspoon of red gel paste food colouring
6 tablespoons of icing sugar
1 tablespoon of honey or golden syrup
1 tablespoon of room temperature water (though you may need to add more or less depending on the consistency you’d like)

In a small bowl mix together the red gel food paste colour with the sugar, syrup and water and set aside.

Sugar Glass Recipe

150g caster or granulated sugar
88ml water
Candy Thermometer
Stove top
Small saucepan
Cake release spray
Flat cookie tray/sheet

In a sauce pan add the sugar and water together and set on the highest heat.

Prepare a flat cookie sheet by spritzing lightly with cake release.

Stir occasionally and leave to bubble until the sugar mix reduces and reaches around 132 degrees C or 270 degrees F. You should start to smell a faint burnt caramel scent. The mix may also begin to go a slight champagne gold colour too.

Remove the pan from the heat. Quickly pour your sugar mixture onto a clean baking sheet or tray with a rim or lip around it’s edges. Quickly spread the mix to the edges by tilting the sheet or tray. Don’t worry if the mix doesn’t reach the tray edges; sometimes the cake release spray will stop this spreading too much. Leave to cool and harden (this may take from 30 minutes to 1 hour).

Don’t leave your ‘glass’ for too long, however. Sugar glass is hygroscopic, which means that it quite readily absorbs moisture from it’s surrounding atmosphere. As soon as the mix has cooled and harden quickly smash it in the required jagged shards before it loses that lovely brittle and hard quality!

Now it’s time to assemble your Red Bloody Velvet Cupcakes! Pipe some generous swirls of your lovely vanilla buttercream atop your cakes, stab a large shard into the top of each and then using a disposable piping bag with your ‘blood’ mix pipe messy dripping splattered blood where the sugar glass meets the cupcake. For extra gore why not fill your cupcakes with gooey strawberry preserve!

Red Bloody Velvet Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

 

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Halloween Recipe and Tutorial: Haunted Black Forest Cupcakes!

We always get excited when the Halloween festivities come creeping around the corner. We love planning (and eating up) fun ghoulish tutorials and recipes, carving out pumpkins, buying in spook-tacular baking supplies and of course over using the pun ‘spook-tacular’. With all this in mind here is a fun recipe and tutorial so you can create these ghostly Haunted Black Forest Cupcakes at home! These spooky cupcakes are our non-alcoholic spin (great for the kids!) on the traditional Black Forest Gâteau cake. They’re soft dark chocolate cupcakes swirled with delicious cherry buttercream finished with floating fondant ghosts; perfect for petrifying parties or spooky soirées!

Haunted Black Forest Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Haunted Black Forest Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Basic Dark Chocolate Recipe (makes approx. 12 cupcakes)

226g self raising flour
226g butter
226g caster sugar
6 eggs
2 heaped tablespoons of cocoa powder
100g of melted dark chocolate buttons, callets or broken pieces
12 cupcake cases

Pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 3/325F/170C.

Cream your butter in a mixer then add the caster sugar. Add in the flour along with half of the eggs for around one minute. Once half of the eggs are combined add the remaining and mix for about 5 minutes. Add in your melted dark chocolate and cocoa powder. Mix.

Fill your cupcake cases until 2/3 full and place on the top shelf. Bake for around 20/25 minutes.

Cherry Buttercream Recipe

250g butter
300-350g icing sugar / confectioner’s sugar
6-12 drops of cherry essence
Cherry Pink gel paste food colour
Piping Tip (We used the Ateco 858 tip that we stock)

Add half of the butter diced into pieces. Cream the butter in a mixer then gradually add icing sugar and the remaining butter (cut into cubes) until you get a smooth, creamy texture. Add in your cherry essence. Finally add some pink gel paste food colour with black gel paste food colour until you get your desired dark cherry colour.

What you need to make your spooky ghosts:

Black Edible Ink Pen
White fondant / sugarpaste
Kebab sticks
Large plain circle cutter
Tylo powder
White candy melts
Fondant rolling pin

Assembling your cupcakes and creating your fondant ghosts…

Haunted Black Forest Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Step one: Pipe your cupcakes with swirls of your delicious cherry buttercream.

Step two: Cut down three kebab stick to about 4 to 5 inches in height (though you should compare this alongside your cupcakes).

Haunted Black Forest Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Step three: Mix some tylo powder in with some white sugarpaste fondant and form into spherical balls about the diameter of a 10 pence piece (or a quarter if you’re US bound).

Haunted Black Forest Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Step four: Melt some candy melts. (Tip: We pop some in a disposable piping bag, melt them in the microwave and then snip the bag.) Apply a little to the top of the kebab sticks and carefully slide the sugarpaste balls on.

Step five: Leave these to dry and harden. You can stand your sticks upright by pushing them into a cake dummy or a thick cardboard box… or by even leaving them to stand in a high and narrow container (e.g. a coffee pot).

Haunted Black Forest Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Step six: When the balls are a little firmer push these into the centre of your piped cupcakes.

Haunted Black Forest Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Step seven: Roll out some white sugar paste to around 2mm thick and cut out as many circles as there are cupcakes using a plain circle cutter.

Haunted Black Forest Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Step eight: Carefully lay your circles out over the kebab stick and fondant ball ‘lollipops’ in your cupcakes and arrange the bottoms of them to look like flowing ghostly shapes. This takes a steady hand as you can end up smearing the buttercream underneath!

Haunted Black Forest Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

Step nine: For the finishing touch carefully draw some creepy (or funny) faces on your little ghosts!

Hurrah! Finally you have a little army of ghosts ready to celebrate the Halloween season!

Haunted Black Forest Cupcakes by Juniper Cakery

 

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Chocolate Truffle Cupcakes!

When it comes to cake (or usually any type of sweet) chocolate is usually a winner isn’t it? We adore the rich and warming aroma of our freshly baked cocoa filled cupcakes swirled with silky whipped chocolate buttercream! With that in mind here is a lovely little batch of fine chocolate truffle cupcakes we whipped up! Each cupcake is topped with either a hand made white chocolate heart or an indulgent chocolate truffle (some flavours include Tiramisu, White Chocolate Meringue and Caramel Eclair).

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If you need to re-create our super smooth and luxurious chocolate buttercream for your own cakes we’ve posted up our recipe and ‘tutorial’ here! Beware… you may find yourself huddled up in the dark of your kitchen cupboard possessively devouring every dollop!

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DSC_0026_379

trufflesplice

 

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National Cupcake Week: Cherry Bakewell Cupcake Recipe!

Here is our second ‘Classic British Dessert’ recipe re-created in cupcake form; the almighty Cherry Bakewell! An afternoon tea favourite of pretty much everyone’s nan this countryside treat combines cherries and almonds perfectly. Our cupcake recipe consists of a light almond cupcake filled with home made cherry conserve, frosted with silky almond buttercream and topped with a glacé cherry. Try our recipe below and enjoy this cupcake with a large cup of tea and an hour to spare!

Cherry Bakewell Cupcake Recipe

Almond Cupcake Recipe (Makes Approx. 12)

226g self raising flour
226g butter
226g caster sugar
4 eggs
6 – 12 drops of almond extract

Pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 3/325F/170C.

Cream your butter in a mixer then add the caster sugar. Add in the flour along with half of the eggs for around one minute. Add your almond extract to taste. Once half of the eggs are combined add the remaining and mix for about 5 minutes.

Fill your cupcake cases until 2/3 full and place on the top shelf. Bake for around 20/25 minutes.

Cherry Bakewell Cupcake Recipe

Cherry Conserve Filling

150g chopped cherries
1 lemon (juice of)
150g Pectin / Jam Sugar

In a saucepan on medium heat simmer your cherries with the juice of one lemon and the pectin / jam sugar until a good thickness. Pour into clean airtight jars and leave to cool before using!

Once cooled core your cupcakes with a good cupcake corer and generously fill with your cherry conserve. Try not to eat too much jam before you’ve finished making these cupcakes though.

Cherry Bakewell Cupcake RecipeCherry Bakewell Cupcake Recipe

Almond Buttercream Recipe

250g butter
400g icing sugar
6 – 12 drops of almond extract
70-100g white chocolate buttons or callets
Glacé cherries to garnish

Add half of the butter diced into pieces. Cream the butter in a mixer then gradually add icing sugar and the remaining butter (cut into cubes) until you get a smooth, creamy texture. Melt your white chocolate buttons or callets in a bowl sat in hot water. Once melted add to your buttercream and gently mix. Finally, add the almond extract to taste.

Cherry Bakewell Cupcake Recipe

To finished up your batch of delicious Cherry Bakewell cupcakes swirl with your smooth almond buttercream and nestle a rubescent glacé cherry atop just like the original dessert! Enjoy!

 

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National Cupcake Week: Battenberg Cupcake Recipe!

Our third ‘Classic British Dessert’ of the week is the elusive Batternberg Cake as a cupcake! The Batternberg was purportedly called Domino Cake originally back in 1898 but supposedly became known as Battenberg Cake after Queen Victoria’s grandaughter married Prince Louis of Battenberg. This cake is originally made of a pink and yellow checked cake then iced in almond marzipan. Our cupcake version is a light and fluffy pink and yellow striped cupcake swirled with light almond and white chocolate buttercream finished with toasted almonds! Try our recipe below for a rather British treat!

Battenberg Cupcake Recipe

Battenberg Cupcake Recipe (Makes Approx. 12)

226g self raising flour
226g butter
226g caster sugar
4 eggs
Pink gel paste food colouring
Yellow gel paste food colouring

Pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 3/325F/170C.

Cream your butter in a mixer then add the caster sugar. Add in the flour along with half of the eggs for around one minute. Once half of the eggs are combined add the remaining and mix for about 5 minutes.

Separate the mix into two bowls. Colour one with pink gel food colour paste and the other with yellow gel paste food colouring.

To create the pink and yellow ‘stripe’ of the batter fill one piping bag with pink batter and another with yellow batter. Put both bags into another piping bag, snip the ends of ad pipe carefully into each cupcake case until 2/3 full and place on the top shelf. Bake for around 20/25 minutes.

Battenberg Cupcake Recipe

Almond Buttercream Recipe

250g butter
400g icing sugar
6 – 12 drops of almond extract
70-100g white chocolate buttons or callets
Toasted flaked almonds to decorate

Add half of the butter diced into pieces. Cream the butter in a mixer then gradually add icing sugar and the remaining butter (cut into cubes) until you get a smooth, creamy texture. Melt your white chocolate buttons or callets in a bowl sat in hot water. Once melted add to your buttercream and gently mix. Finally, add the almond extract to taste.

Battenberg Cupcake Recipe

Now all that is needed is for you to swirl your Battenberg cupcakes with your almond buttercream and topple toasted almonds atop them! Enjoy!

 

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National Cupcake Week: Strawberries & Cream Scone Cupcake Recipe!

Imagine a cupcake inspired by the British afternoon tea staple; freshly baked scones filled with strawberry conserve and whipped cream. Amazing, yes? Well imagine no further! Below is our recipe for this indulgent cupcake treat. We’ve created a light vanilla pod infused cupcake filled with deliciously fruity home made strawberry preserve, swirled with vanilla pod buttercream and then finished with miniature home made scones brimming with strawberry preserve and vanilla sweetened whipped cream! Try our recipe below and be sure to nestle them atop a cake stand of sandwiches and pastries for a well earned treat!

Strawberries & Cream Scone Cupcake

Basic Vanilla Cupcake Recipe (Makes 12 Cupcakes)

4 free range eggs
226g self-raising flour
226g caster sugar
226g butter
1 bourbon vanilla pod

Pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 3/325F/170C.

Cream your butter in a mixer then add the caster sugar. Add in the flour along with half of the eggs for around one minute. Add the seeds from inside your vanilla pod. Once half of the eggs are combined add the remaining and mix for about 5 minutes.

Separate the batter into each cupcake case until 2/3 full and place on the top shelf. Bake for around 20/25 minutes.

Strawberries & Cream Scone Cupcake

Strawberry Preserve Recipe

150g chopped strawberries
1 lemon (juice of)
150g pectin sugar / jam sugar

In a saucepan add all of your ingredients and simmer in medium heat. Keep stirring for around 10 minutes or until thick in consistency. Pour into clean airtight jars and leave to cool before using!

Strawberries & Cream Scone Cupcake

Vanilla Whipped Cream Recipe

100ml double cream
6 drops of good vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of icing sugar

In a bowl whisk your double cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract together until it is thick and can stand in a lovely smooth peak! You can also save your arms the ache and prep this with a stand up mixer!

Strawberries & Cream Scone Cupcake

Vanilla Buttercream

250g butter
250g – 350g icing sugar
1 Vanilla Pod
Piping bags

Cut your butter into small cubes and cream your butter until soft. Gradually add icing sugar until a good consistency. Add the seeds from your vanilla Pod to taste.

Plain Scones Recipe

This recipe makes 8-12 normal sized scones (about the size of a jam jar lid) or 15-20 mini scones (approx. the same size as a 10 pence piece… or 25 cents if you are US bound).

225g self raising flour
pinch of salt
25g caster sugar
150ml milk
55g butter
1 beaten egg to glaze
Plain or scalloped circle cutters

Pre-heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Lightly grease a flat baking tray or line with baking paper.

Mix together the flour and salt in a bowl. Then run in the butter to make crumb like pieces. Add the sugar and then the milk. Gently mix together using your clean hands.

Pop your dough onto a flour dusted surface and lightly knead. Roll or pat to around 1 inch thick (to make mini sized scones). Use a 48mm cutter to cut either plain or scallop edged scones. Place around 2 inches apart on your baking tray.

Lightly brush the scones with the beaten egg mixture and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden.

Strawberries & Cream Scone Cupcake

Leave to cool and when ready slice in half and fill with your home made strawberry preserve and vanilla whipped cream! Nestle these on top of your cupcakes and watch everyone gobble them up happily!

 

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National Cupcake Week: Custard Tart Cupcake Recipe!

At Juniper Cakery there isn’t a dessert we don’t enjoy and the humble British custard tart is a sweet that really doesn’t last long in our office! Needless to say we couldn’t wait to experiment in the kitchen and whip up a batch of custard tart inspired cupcakes. Our take on this British classic is a lovely light vanilla bean cupcake filled with custard, frosted with creamy white chocolate and custard buttercream finished with a soft sprinkling of ground nutmeg! This dessert is perfect as a light afternoon sweet with a pot of fragrant Earl Grey tea and a splash of milk.

Custard Tart Cupcake

Custard Tart Cupcake

Vanilla Nutmeg Cupcake Recipe (Makes approx. 12)

226g self raising flour
226g caster sugar
226g butter
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 bourbon vanilla pod

Cream your butter in a mixer then add the caster sugar. Add in the flour along with half of the eggs for around one minute. Add the seeds inside your vanilla pod along with your nutmeg. Once half of the eggs are combined add the remaining and mix for about 5 minutes.

Separate the batter into each cupcake case until 2/3 full and place on the top shelf of a pre-heated oven at Gas Mark 3/325F/170C. Bake for around 20/25 minutes.

Custard Tart Cupcake

Custard Buttercream Recipe

250g butter
250g icing sugar
1 bourbon vanilla pod
3 tablespoons custard powder
Ground nutmeg to dust
70g melted white chocolate buttons or callets

Add half of the butter diced into pieces. Cream the butter in a mixer then gradually add icing sugar and the remaining butter (cut into cubes) until you get a smooth, creamy texture. Melt your white chocolate buttons or callets in a bowl sat in hot water. Once melted add to your buttercream and gently mix along with your custard powder. Finally, add the seeds from your vanilla pod to taste.

Custard Tart Cupcake

All you need to do now is frost your fragrant cupcakes with your custard buttercream and softly dust with a sprinkling of ground nutmeg! Enjoy!

 

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