Christmas Cupcakes

Name: Christmas Cupcakes
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 12
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 1 cup butter (softened); 0.75 cup granulated sugar; 2 eggs; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 0.75 cup cake flour; 1.5 tsps Baking powder; 1 pinch salt; 2 cups powdered sugar; 2 Tbsps lemon juice; coarse Sugar crystal; powdered sugar (for dusting); 1 cup granulated sugar; 0.667 cup water; 0.125 tsp cream of tartar; 2 cups ground almonds; 1 egg white; green Food coloring; red Food coloring

with Marzipan Decorations

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Difficulty:

moderate

Difficulty

Preparation:

35 min.

Preparation

ready in 1 hr

Ready in

Ingredients

for

cupcakes

For Cupcakes: 1 cup butter (softened); ¾ cup granulated sugar; 2 eggs; 2 cups all-purpose flour; ¾ cup cake flour; 1 ½ tsps Baking powder; 1 pinch salt

For Frosting: 2 cups powdered sugar; 2 Tbsps lemon juice; coarse Sugar crystal

For Decorative Marzipan Frosting: powdered sugar (for dusting); 1 cup granulated sugar; ⅔ cup water; ⅛ tsp cream of tartar; 2 cups ground almonds; 1 egg white; green Food coloring; red Food coloring

How healthy are the main ingredients?

almond sugar sugar egg salt

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Preparation steps

For Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper or foil liners.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue mixing for about 3 to 4 minutes, until mixture is smooth and creamy. Sift the flour, cake flour, baking powder and salt together. Gradually add the flour mixture in four additions, mixing until thoroughly incorporated.

Divide batter evenly between the prepared cups, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until cupcakes are slightly brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, cool in pans on wire racks for about 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from tins and cool completely before frosting.

For Frosting:

Place confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl, add lemon juice one or two drops at a time, stirring until sugar is thick and fluffy, and the desired consistency is achieved. Generously frost the tops of each cooled cupcake. Sprinkle with green sugar crystals

For Decorative Marzipan Frosting:

Sprinkling a large baking sheet or work surface with confectioners' sugar. Fill the bottom of your sink with very cold water.

In a medium saucepan, add the sugar and water and heat gently, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves. Add the cream of tartar and increase the heat. Bring to a boil, cover and boil for 3 minutes. Uncover and continue boiling until the temperature reaches the soft ball stage (240º on a candy thermometer).

10.

Place the bottom of the saucepan in the cold water, stirring the mixture until it becomes creamy and thick. Stir in the ground almonds and the egg white, place over low heat and stir for 2 minutes, or until the mixture is thick.

11.

Spoon the marzipan onto a work surface lightly sprinkled with confectioners' sugar, and turn frequently with a metal spatula until marzipan is cool to the touch.

12.

Coat your hands with confectioners' sugar and knead the marzipan until it is smooth and pliable.

13.

Dye two thirds of the marzipan with green food coloring and the remaining third with red food coloring. Spoon the green marzipan into a pastry bag and pipe leaves in the shape of a tree onto the cupcakes. Using your fingers, roll the red marzipan into holly berries and place on the tree. Allow frosting to dry before serving.

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