Crown jewels cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes | prep 1 hr 30 mins | total time
Crown jewels cupcakes
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Makes 12 cupcakes | prep 1 hr 30 mins | total time
Rate
Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
458Kcal
Fat
20gr
Saturates
10gr
Carbs
63gr
Sugars
51gr
Fibre
1gr
Protein
6gr
Salt
0.3gr
Ingredients
You will need
- 12-hole muffin tin
- 12 white cupcake cases
- 7cm plain round cutter
- disposable piping bag
- 4.5cm flower cutter
- 5cm fluted or crinkle round cutter
- a cocktail stick
- tweezers
For the cupcakes
- 5 Earl Grey tea bags
- 175g butter, softened
- 175g caster sugar
- 1 tsp Valencian orange extract
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 175g self-raising flour, sifted
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 100g ground almonds
For the decorations
- 300g ready to roll soft white icing
- a few drops of Dr Oetker Sunshine Yellow, Sky Blue, and Hot Pink gel food colours
- 150g Cake Decor Gold Edible Lace Kit
- 25g butter, really soft
- 50g icing sugar, sifted
- cornflour, for dusting
- 2 tbsp shredless orange marmalade, warmed or beaten to loosen
- 125g white flower and modelling paste
- edible silver balls
- edible white shimmer pearls
- Cake Decor gold and silver glitter spray
Step by step
Get ahead
The cakes can be made the day before decorating, or keep them in the freezer, uniced, for up to 2 months. Once decorated, the cakes will keep for 2-3 days in a cake tin.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake cases. Put the teabags in a mug and pour over 75ml boiling water. Leave to infuse for 15 minutes.
- Put the butter, sugar and orange extract into a large bowl and whisk until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, whisking well after each addition. Remove the tea bags from the water, squeeze and discard. Then, add the tea-infused water to the bowl. Fold in the flour, baking powder and ground almonds until combined.
- Divide the mixture equally between the paper cases and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden and risen. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to go cold.
-
Tip Make the gold lace in advance. The shapes keep for at least a week once dried. You won't need to use the whole tub for this recipe as a little goes a long way, and it lasts in the cupboard, resealed, for a long time.
The modelling icing brooches will dry hard. You can make them up to a week in advance; store in a dry place, covered. How to decorate:
Divide the white icing into 3 equal pieces. Knead one third of the white icing with a little yellow food colouring until pale yellow. Wrap in clingfilm. Repeat with the remaining icing so you have a pale blue piece and a pale, apricot-coloured piece (make this by mixing the yellow and pink food colouring together).
- Make the edible lace according to the pack instructions. There are a variety of templates to make different designs and patterns. Then, make the brooches (see below for instructions).
- Make the buttercream by creaming together the butter, icing sugar and 1 teaspoon of slightly cooled boiled water until smooth. Put a disposable piping bag in a mug or glass for support and fill it with the buttercream. Snip a 3mm hole from the end. Set aside.
- Lightly dust a clean work surface with cornflour. Roll out the yellow icing until it is about 3mm thick. With a 7cm round cutter, stamp out 4 circles. You may need to re-roll the icing to make enough. Brush the tops of 4 cupcakes with the marmalade, then put a yellow circle on the top of each cupcake, lightly pressing down. Repeat with the remaining icing colours and cupcakes.
- Pipe a small dot of buttercream onto each cupcake and use to secure a brooch (see below). Spray all over with gold or silver glitter, depending on your cake design.
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Tip How to make the brooches:
1. Lightly dust a clean work surface with cornflour and roll out the modelling paste until about 3mm thick.
2. Using a 4.5cm flower cutter, stamp out 6 flowers and, with a 5cm fluted round cutter, stamp out 6 circles. The icing dries quite quickly, so while you work on each brooch, cover the other shapes with clingfilm, and wrap up any unused modelling icing.
3. Using a cocktail stick, roll the tip around the edge of the circle to frill the edges, do the same with the flowers.
4. Then, decorate as you wish using the gold lace shapes and edible pearls. You may want to roll larger balls from the modelling icing too. Use the tweezers to pick up the pearls and the buttercream to stick them onto the brooches in patterns, piping small dots and lines where needed to fill in any gaps. Use a little cold water to stick the lace to the brooches.
