Day Of The Dead Cupcakes
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 90 minutes plus setting time
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Makes 2 dozen cupcakes
- 2 1/4 cups brown sugar (firmly packed)
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1.5 cups black cocoa
- 3 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1.5 cups buttermilk
- 3/4 cup oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
Black Velvet Buttercream
- 375g/13ozs. butter, room temperature
- 625g/22ozs. icing sugar, sifted
- 75g/2.7ozs black cocoa, sifted
- 3 tablespoons charcoal powder
- 4-5 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
For skulls/decoration
- 100g/3.5ozs. black and white gum paste
- Edible gold lustre dust mixed with a little vodka
- Pink, aqua and yellow edible colouring
- Small sugar flowers
- A few drops of water to attach flowers to skulls
- Pink, silver and aqua cachous
- Gold leaf
Step 1 - First make the skulls as they will need some time to set (ideally, make these the day before). Lightly dust a skull mold with cornstarch and use a brush to brush excess away. Warm gum paste in hands (do white gum paste first and then black) and roll small balls and press into the molds. Remove and allow to harden. Paint patterns with the colours and fill in the eyes with the gold paint. Allow to set and dry.
Step 2 - Preheat oven to 160C/320F and line 2 muffin trays with liners. Whisk the sugar, cake flour, cocoa, bicarb and baking powder in a bowl until combined. In a jug measure the buttermilk. Oil and vanilla and whisk the eggs in. Slowly add the wet into the dry mixture stirring until just combined (make sure to get the flour at the bottom of the bowl).
Step 3 - Pour into a jug and fill the cupcake cavities 3/4 full. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool completely.
Step 4 - Beat the butter until smooth and then on the lowest speed add the icing sugar, cocoa, charcoal powder, milk and vanilla and beat until smooth. Fit a large fluted tip to a piping bag and pipe buttercream on top. You want a nice thick cushion for the skull to rest on. Using a small paintbrush, brush a tiny bit of water and attach the flowers to the skulls. Decorate with cachous and gold leaf.