Name: Candy Cane Cupcakes
Ingredients: eggs; sugar; baking powder; salt; butter; cream cheese; icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar; cocoa powder; butter; vanilla extract; candy canes; milk; flour

Lars Wentrup, Lisa Nieschlag

Candy Cane Cupcakes

Preparation info

Difficulty
Medium
Makes
8

Appears in

New York Christmas

By Lisa Nieschlag and Lars Wentrup

Published 2017

About
Recipes
contents

Numerous legends are wrapped around the origins of the famous red and white, peppermint-flavoured candy canes. According to one story, it was an elder of Cologne Cathedral who had candy canes first made in the 17th century to give them to children, as a reward if they served at the altar or had behaved well in church. The canes are modelled after a shepherd’s crook to remind people of the shepherds who came to pay homage to Jesus at Bethlehem. This is also why candy canes were traditionally shared out during nativity plays. Both nativity plays and candy canes spread across Europe and eventually also to the United States, where candy canes are still an important Christmas symbol even today.

Ingredients

For the dough

150 g (5½ oz/1 cup) flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1½ tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
100 g (3½ oz) butter
30 ml (1 fl oz) milk
2 eggs
100 g (3½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

For the frosting

50 g (1¾ oz) butter, softened
150 g (5½ oz) cream cheese (full fat)
350 g (12 oz) icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Also

3–4 candy canes, chopped

Americas
United States
New York
Baking
Dessert
Vegetarian
Christmas

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas mark 4). For the dough, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the milk and allow to cool. Beat the eggs and sugar in another bowl until foamy. Whisk in the melted butter and then fold in the dry ingredients.

Line an 8-hole muffin tray with paper cup liners. Fill the liners about three quarters with dough and bake in a preheated oven for about 18 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness! Allow the muffins to cool completely.

For the frosting, combine butter and cream cheese in a bowl. Gradually add the icing sugar. Stir in the vanilla extract. Spread the frosting over the cooled cupcakes with a knife; alternatively use a piping bag to pipe it on. Decorate with chopped candy cane.