These are Christmas all wrapped up in a cupcake. I doubt anyone will be able to resist these delicious treats. I hope that there is one next to my stocking on Christmas Eve.
Handful of fresh strawberries, washed and with the base sliced off to create a flat surface
Sprinkles for decoration
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200ºc and line a cupcake tin with paper cases.
Sieve the cocoa into a bowl then pour in the boiling water.
Mix until you have a thick paste.
Add in all remaining ingredients and mix with an electric whisk until you have a smooth batter.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop equal amounts into each paper case.
Place in the oven for around 12-15 minutes until the cakes spring back when pressed.Cool on a wire rack completely.
Buttercream
To make the buttercream, beat the butter until soft and fluffy then start to add the powdered sugar a ladel at a time until fully incorporated.
Add in the vanilla extract and green food colouring to the desired colour and beat again.If the mixture is a little stiff, add a splash of double cream.
Place the buttercream into a piping bag with a star nozzle attached.
If adding a surprise strawberry into your cupcake, i just remove a little of the top of the cake to create a perfectly flat surface. I pipe a little buttercream as a base on which the strawberry can sit. Place the strawberry with the flat cut side down then pipe around the base then upwards to create a tree shape that totally covers the strawberry.
If not adding in a strawberry simply pipe generously from the cake upwards to create a tree shape.Add festive sprinkles.