Christmas cupcakes and other edible gifts..

[CMOTDibbler]

I mad 4 mini christmas cakes, 3 jars of mincemeat, and a big bottle of mulling syrup at the weekend, and now I'm in the mood to make more things

I've seen some nice looking eggnog cupcake recipes, and I like the Nigella one which is chocolate/gingery, but could do with some more ideas of different things to make. I've got a charity raffle, an AGM, school christmas fair cake sale, and need presents for about 10 people, so lots of baking

I make nutella cupcakes with baileys buttercream, mincemeat cupcakes with brandy buttercream, chocolate with orange buttercream, vanilla cupckes with green icing piped into a christmas tree with sprinkle decorations. I also make dark chocolate dipped candied orange peel, marzipan shapes 1/2 dipped in chocolate (some with an almond on the top) and also truffles and finally florentines.

The nutella and baileys sound fabulous - do you have the recipe to hand ?

I just make my normal cupcake recipe and add 3 tablespoons of nutella and for the icing I make normal plain butter cream but add 50ml of baileys and add extra icing sugar then beat for about 15mins in the mixer which makes it very light and fluffy.

Christmas chutney. Best matured for about two months, then I put holly and stuff on the label. Decorated, not real.

Lush, I'll give those a try. Of course the baileys icing might need a little testing

blueberry - would u mind sharing the recipe for the nutella and baileys cupcakes? I dont have a successful "normal" cupcake recipe so i need to have it all spelled out!!

Country, of course. I use supermarket brand muffin sized cupcake papers and use an ice cream scoop (old fashioned squeezy handled metal one) to ensure they are all the same size.

Makes 12-15 depending on size

3 eggs (room temp)
6oz soft room temp butter
6 oz sugar
6oz self raising flour

4 tbsp nutella

beat butter and sugar until fluffy and pale add nutella and beat a bit more (about 5 mins)
add all flour and eggs and beat until smooth and creamy (a minute or so)
scoop into cakecases and bake at 160 (fan) for 12-17 minutes they should be gently springy to the touch.

buttercream

150g soft room temp butter (please use real butter unless allergies prevent)
500g pack of icing sugar
Baileys

Beat butter until smooth, add 200g of icing sugar and baileys (about 50-75ml) beat until smooth, slowly add more icing sugar until it is a smooth pipeable thickness (a bit like clotted cream) then continue to beat as long as you can, the longer you beat the fluffier the icing.

Blueberry Those sound great, I'm going to try them!

Oh thank u so much!!

Will def try them this weekend!

You may well need little more icing sugar just incase it is too runny and use a whisk attachment to any mixer not the paddle or blade attachment or your icing will stay runny and floppy.

I will be making pickled mushrooms, spiced nibbly seeds, peppermint bark (with ganache centre), chocolate-dipped candied orange peel (and possibly dipped dates and apricots),salted caramels and gingerbread caramels. Also, a gingerbread house.

Those sound lovely Clothilde - how do you do your peppermint bark ?