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40Total Time
20Prep Time
20Bake Time
12Serves
Easy

Thanksgiving Cupcakes

0 Reviews

About the bake

These cute chocolate cupcakes are a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving and are fun for all the family to enjoy. Kids will love moulding the chocolate sugarpaste and can really let their creative side go wild decorating the Turkey tailfeathers.

40Total Time
20Prep Time
20Bake Time
12Serves
Easy

Method

  1. Step 1:

    Preheat the oven at 200°C (180°C, gas mark 6) and line 12 muffin tins.

    Which cupcake cases to use

    Thin cup cake cases can allow the butter from the mixture to seep through making them look greasy.  Thicker cupcake cases will hold their shape more and look more presentable.  Shallower cake cases are ideal for fairy cakes, deeper ones for cupcakes and larger ones for muffins.  Try to get the right size to match your cake tin.

  2. Step 2:

    Sift the cocoa powder into a bowl and mix with the boiling water to create a thick paste.

  3. Step 3:

    Add the remaining cake ingredients and beat together.

  4. Step 4:

    Divide the mixture evenly between the cases, filling them 2/3 full.

    This video shows you how to make sure your cupcakes are even. 

  5. Step 5:

    Bake in a pre-heated oven for 20 minutes until well risen and cooked throughout.

    Testing if your cupcakes are baked

    To test that your cupcakes are cooked throughout, insert a skewer or cocktail stick into the centre of each cupcake, if the skewer/stick comes out clean then the cakes are ready. If there is still mixture present, bake for a further 5 minutes and repeat the test.

  6. Step 6:

    Leave the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack.

  7. Step 7:

    To make the buttercream, beat the butter until softened and add the icing sugar and cocoa powder.

  8. Step 8:

    Gradually add the milk to loosen the buttercream to a piping consistency.

  9. Step 9:

    Fill a piping bag and carefully pipe the buttercream on to each cupcake.

    Decorating- How to full and use a piping bag

    To fill a piping bag, fold back the top third of the bag over your hand or stand up in a large glass if you need to use both hands, place the icing into the bag with a spoon or spatula and squeeze it down to the tip. Fold the top of the bag back up and twist it tightly to push the icing into the tip. Grip the twisted top of the bag between your thumb and palm  keeping it tightly twisted to avoid the icing coming out of the top of the bag.  Use pressure from the palm of your hand rather than your fingers and squeeze gently to begin piping.

  10. Step 10:

    To make the turkeys head, roll a ball of chocolate sugarpaste.

  11. Step 11:

    Make the eyes using small balls of white sugarpaste with black centres.

  12. Step 12:

    The beak is made using orange sugar paste.

  13. Step 13:

    For the tailfeathers, use an ice cream fan wafer and insert the bottom point into the cupcake sponge to hold in place.

  14. Step 14:

    Using writing icing to make coloured dots on the fan wafer.

Ingredients

  • For the Cupcakes

    • 4 tbsp Boiling water
    • 40g Cocoa powder
    • 3 Free range large eggs
    • 175g Unsalted butter (softened)
    • 165g Billington's Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
    • 115g Allinson's Self Raising White Flour
    • 1 tsp Baking powder
  • For the Buttercream

    • 300g Silver Spoon Icing Sugar
    • 100g Unsalted butter (softened)
    • 40g Cocoa powder
    • 40ml Whole milk
  • For The Decoration

    • 12 Askeys fan wafer
    • 30g Orange sugar paste icing
    • 30g White sugar paste icing
    • 1 Writing icing pen

Utensils

  • Whisk

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