There’s something so festive about a candy cane. Even though it’s not frosty down here in Australia, even though the cup of chocolate is more likely to be iced than hot, the red and white pepperminty sticks just sing Christmas. So when the temperature is in the thirties and we are all putting prawns on the BBQ instead of cooking roasts (actually roasts still happen, we’re a strange bunch us Downunderers), how can we capture one of the taste themes of the season? Duh. Too easy. Cake. A little choc mint action in a cupcake. A little double choc double mint actually. Meet the Candy cane cupcake.
Candy cane cupcake
Not a shy little number, candy cane cupcakes look just like Santa’s elves all decked out in red white and a touch of green. Here’s how it goes: dark chocolate cupcake, white chocolate peppermint marshmallow fluff frosting and crushed candy cane. YUM!!! Are you chocolate mint fiends paying attention yet?
A legion of delicious
So the cupcake part is easy – try the super light but lusciously dark cocoa cupcake recipe below. The frosting is the real show stopper here. I’m even going to show you how to get the stripes.
Candy cane Cupcakes
Makes 16
Dark cocoa cupcakes
1 3/4 cups flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup water
125g butter
Pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
Place all ingredients except for eggs in a large bowl. Beat until smooth. Add eggs and beat on high for two minutes until light and creamy.
Grease 16 cupcake liners with canola spray and fill just above half full with mixture. Bake at 175 degrees C for 25 minutes or until the cakes are firm to the touch but still just “whispering” when you (carefully!) put your ear near them. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Candy cane frosting
250g unsalted butter
200g icing sugar
2 tsp good quality mint essence (add more or less to taste but you want it strong!) mine came from the Essential Ingredient
100g white chocolate, melted and cooled
100g marshmallow creme (Jet Puff is good, you can get it from the USA foods store online)
Red gel colour
5 15cm long peppermint candy canes (red and white or red, white and green)
Beat the butter until light. Add the icing sugar, beating until fluffy. Add the mint essence to taste.
Beat in the cooled white chocolate, followed by the marshmallow creme.
Put about 50g of the frosting into a separate bowl and tint it bright red. Load this into a small piping bag made with a triangle of baking paper. Fit a large piping bag with a large star nozzle, such and a Wilton 1B. Pipe stripes of red frosting in straight lines up the interior of the large piping bag. Carefully load the uncoloured frosting into the bag, trying not to blur the red lines (try to drop the frosting directly into the bag, rather than sliding it in sideways).
Break the candy canes so there are 16 large pieces and a heap of smaller crumbs. Place a large piece and a sprinkle of smaller pieces on each cupcake.
Refrigerate the candy cane cupcakes until ready to serve. If you can wait that long. Friends describe this as like eating chocolate peppermint swirl ice cream, and one friend has dubbed this the best cupcake he has ever eaten – high praise from a man with a chef for a wife!
