Cupcake croquembouche

Serves:

Ingredients

• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 and a half cups caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 and a half cups plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 125g frozen raspberries
• 100g choc bits

Icing:

• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 400g cream cheese, softened
• 1 and a half teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 cups icing sugar
• Pink food colouring
• Decorations:
• 50-60 toothpicks
• 1 Styrofoam cone 25 cm high and 10cm wide at the base
• Fairy floss
• Butterflies (available from craft shops)

Method

Preheat oven to 170C.

Cupcakes will need to be cooked in two batches of 48 and 24. Line two 24-hole mini muffin trays with cupcake papers for first batch.

Cream the butter for 1-2 minutes in electric mixer. Add caster sugar one third at a time, mixing for two minutes in between each addition. Add eggs one at a time, beating for at least one minute in between each addition. This will prevent the mixture from curdling. Scrape down sides of bowl before adding each egg.

Add vanilla. Sift flour and baking powder together.

Turn mixer to low speed and add a third of the flour. Beat until just combined. Add half the milk and then add another third of the flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Finally add the remaining milk and the last of the flour and beat until all combined.

Using a teaspoon, spoon mixture into cupcake papers, filling each about three-quarters full.

Press a frozen raspberry and two choc bits into the top of each cupcake.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.

Transfer cupcakes onto wire tray to cool completely.

Icing

Cream the butter for 1-2 minutes.

Roughly cut the cream cheese into smaller cubes and add to butter.

Add the vanilla and half of the icing sugar. Beat for approx 3 minutes.

Add the remaining icing sugar and beat until mixture is light and fluffy.

Add 1-2 drops of food colouring (or more depending on the desired colour).

Decorating

Ice each cooled cupcake and refrigerate until cupcakes and icing are firm.

Insert a toothpick into the base of the Styrofoam cone and slide the bottom of the first cupcake onto the toothpick. Repeat around the base of the cone. Always start with the base as this will support the next layer of cupcakes as you work up the cone.

On the second layer, position the cupcakes in between two cupcakes from the layer below. Repeat until the whole cone is covered.

Position butterflies around the cone. If the butterflies are on wire, poke the wire into either the cupcake or into the cone to fill in any gaps. If there is no wire, add a small amount of icing to the butterfly and position onto a cupcake.

Fill any gaps with small amounts of fairy floss.

Notes:

• Cream cheese icing is a lovely alternative to butter cream icing. It has a similar consistency to butter cream and compliments the raspberries in the cupcakes.
• Refrigerating the cupcakes before placing them on the cone makes them easier to handle.
• Try to handle the cupcakes from the paper rather than touching the icing when positioning them onto the toothpicks.
• This birthday cake recipe was created by Katherine Petric for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.

Serving Suggestions

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