Pretzel Day Cupcakes
#ThatsWhatSheSaid
INGREDIENTS
Cupcakes
430g (15 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
265 g (91/2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
125 g (41/2 oz/1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
375 ml (121/2 fl oz/11/2 cups) full-cream (whole) milk
125 ml (4 fl oz/1/2 cup) vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Greek yoghurt (or sour cream)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Flavors
Mint choc chip cake
1 tsp peppermint extract
3 drops teal food gel
½ cup chocolate chips
Choc chip cake
½ cup chocolate chips
Cinnamon sugar cake
3 tbsp cinnamon sugar
Chocolate cake
2 tbsp cocoa powder
Sweet glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Sauces
1 cup salted caramel sauce
1 cup chocolate sauce
1 cup white chocolate sauce
Decorations
20 small pretzels
2 cups m&m’s
2 cups marshmallow sprinkles
2 cups chopped peanuts
2 cups toffee nut pieces, chopped
2 cups peanut chips
2 cups Oreos, chopped
2 cups rainbow sprinkles
2 cups cotton candy bits
Frosting
1 batch chocolate buttercream frosting
METHOD
Makes 15
Level: Easy, just time consuming
Cupcakes
Ok, so there are a lot of things on and in this cupcake. Depending on where you are, you might have some trouble finding some of the ingredients. Your options are to order online ahead of time, or to leave some things out. And let’s face it, there are so many things on this cupcake already that nobody’s really going to notice. You can even add your own favorite flavors on or in it. Let’s get started!
Preheat a fan-forced oven to 140°C (275°F) or a conventional oven to 160°C (320°F). Line two cupcake tins with the cupcake liners.
Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixing bowl and mix with a hand mixer until well combined.
Next, add the softened butter and mix on low speed until the mixture reaches a crumbly, sand-like texture.
Add the eggs, milk, oil, yoghurt and vanilla, and mix on low speed until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Scrape down the side of the bowl and mix for a final 20 seconds.
Split the batter into 4 separate mixing bowls.
To make the mint choc chip flavor add the peppermint flavoring, teal food gel and chocolate chips. Mix until well combined. To make the choc chip flavor add the choc chips and fold into the mixture. To make the cinnamon flavor add the cinnamon sugar and mix until well combined. To make the chocolate flavor add the cocoa powder and gently mix until well combined.
Add each flavored batter into a separate piping bag and pipe blobs of batter into your cupcake liners until you fill them ¾ pf the way.
Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
To make the sweet glaze add the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract to a medium sized mixing bowl. Use a whisk to mix until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag and snip a small piece of the tip off using scissors.
Core the center of each cupcake and fill ¼ with chocolate sauce, ¼ with caramel sauce, ¼ with white chocolate sauce and top the rest up with sweet glaze.
Fit the end of a piping bag with a medium sized round tip and fill with chocolate frosting. Pipe a large swirl of frosting on each cupcake.
Now the fun and time-consuming part! Decorating! I’d recommend popping on a podcast or your fave album while you do this. Arrange the rest of the different flavors on the frosting using the frosting to help them stick on. I started with the marshmallow sprinkles because I wanted to set myself a guide to make the flavors appear neat and like they’re swirling around the cupcake.
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HELPFUL TIPS!
STORAGE: store in an airtight container for up to 3 days (refrigerated and thawed 40 min before serving). Although I’d recommend baking and serving on the same day.
EQUIPMENT: Can be made using a hand mixer (always mix on lowest speed) or a hand whisk. Take care not to over mix the batter.
OVEN TEMPERATURE: Each oven is different. Some are old, some are new. Some ovens can be hotter on the inside than the temp you set your oven at. If you find your cupcakes, cakes or macarons are browning or cracking, turn the oven temp down 10C. A handy trick is to get an oven thermometer which sits inside the oven and will give you an accurate temperature reading. They’re inexpensive and can be purchased online or at your local kitchen supply store. And always bake in the centre rack of the oven for best results!
BAKING TIME: These cupcakes will typically bake on a lower temp and for a little longer than regular cupcake recipes. I find a low temperate and a slow bake results in flatter tops and no caramelisation so that if the cupcakes are coloured they don’t change colour and brown. After 40 minutes, stick a skewer into the centre of one of the cupcakes, if it comes out with wet batter, bake for another 10 minutes until the skewer comes out with crumbs or completely clean.
TOOLS:
Large mixing bowls
Spatula
Magic Whisk for wet ingredients
Kitchen Scales
Stand mixer (or hand mixer)
Wire rack
Frosting bag
Tablespoon
Measuring spoons
Cupcake baking tin
Paper liners
Ice cream scoop (optional)