Gingerbread Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 75g unsalted butter, softened
• 100g caster sugar
• 125ml treacle
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 150g plain flour
• 1 tablespoon best quality cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 125ml hot milk

Icing:

• 25g unsalted butter, softened
• 50g cream cheese, softened
• 80g sifted icing sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

1.

Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4. Butter or line a 12-cup muffin tin.

2.

Cream 75g butter with the caster sugar. Add the treacle and the egg and egg yolk.

3.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the hot milk. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in the hot milk mixture. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared tin.

4.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until slightly springy to the touch. Allow to cool a few minutes in the tin and remove to a rack to cool.

5.

To make the icing: Cream the butter and the cream cheese together. Beat in the sifted icing sugar until fluffy. Add the lemon.

                                                  recipe sourced at all recipes