Cross Stitch Cupcakes

Cross Stitch Cupcakes

An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella

Raspberry and coconut cupcakes

• 125 g/4 ozs butter softened

• 1 cup caster sugar

• 3 eggs

• 3/4 cup plain flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut

• 1/3  cup milk

• 150g/5 ozs frozen raspberries

For decorating

• 1/2 cup raspberry jam

• White fondant

• Round cutters

• A metal sieve with a cross hatch pattern-larger holes are more ideal

• Edible colouring textas or food colouring gel and some small paintbrushes

• I also used some floral pattern stamps as I am rubbish with free hand drawing

Step 1 - Preheat oven to moderate 180C/350F. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper cases.

Step 2 - Beat butter, sugar and eggs in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in sifted flour, coconut, milk and frozen raspberries. Divide mixture among cases, smooth surface.

Step 3 - Bake for 20-25 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool. Cut out a cone in the centre of the cupcakes and then fill them with raspberry jam and then place the cone back in.

Step 4 - When cool, roll out white fondant onto a non stick surface and cut out circles. Press the stamps into the fondant and then press firmly against the sieve trying not to spread the fondant out too much but you want to indent the cross hatch pattern well-the deeper the better the cross stitch look.

Cut out discs to fit the cupcakes and then press down on the stamp (you can also draw these freehand and do it without stamps)

Step 5 - Now you have to leave this to dry for a few hours to a day if you are using edible textas. Textas tend not to work so well on soft fondant as they drag the fondant. If you are using colouring gels (not a liquid) you should be able to paint these sooner. Just get a few ramekins and a few small paintbrushes and place a little of the gel in each-do not dilute or it will get watery and it will run into the cracks-you want the cracks showing as that looks like cross stitch. Gently paint over the patterns with the paintbrush taking care not to paint too deeply. Allow to dry. If you are using edible textas do the same once it is dry.