Toffee Cupcakes

Ok, not really toffee but these little cupcakes are flavoured with brown sugar to give a gorgeous caramel, molasses toffee flavour.

These were a big hit with my son.  It might not seem like making cupcakes or fairy cakes for one (or two) of you but you could always freeze any un-iced cakes as this recipe doesn't make an enormous amount, they would happily last three days in an airtight tin.


Toffee mini cupcakes or fairy cakes - Makes approx 9

Ingredients

60g, 2oz Margarine
60g, 2oz Brown sugar (ideally the kind which blends easily or you will have unsightly, if delicious sugary lumps)
A few drops Natural Vanilla extract
1 Egg
60g, 2oz Self Raising Flour (or plain / all purpose flour plus 1 tsp baking powder)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp - 1 tbsp Milk

For the icing / frosting
20g, just over 0.5oz Butter
30g, 1oz Brown sugar
A few drops Vanilla extract
Icing sugar - enough to make a thick icing

Method

Preheat the oven to 180oC, 350F, Gas Mark 4.  Line a fairy cake tin with paper cups (you could make full size cupcakes but you will make fewer).

Cream the marg and sugar manually or with a mixer.  Add in the egg and whisk.  It might look a bit curdled but don't worry.  Add in the flour and baking powder, whisk in and add a little milk until you have a dropping consistency (i.e. it flops off a spoon easily).

Put a dsp of mix into each cup (or more if making cupcakes), then bake for 12-15 minutes or until cooked.  The larger your cakes, the longer they will take to cook.

Fairy cakes are a piece of cake to check if they're cooked.  Sorry for the pun.  Just press on the top of a couple of cakes, if they immediately bounce back, they're done.

Take out then allow to cool on a rack.

I always use marg in baking, not because I like the stuff, can't stand it but you can't argue that the baking results are lighter.  I have tried baking with butter but found it a bit greasy.  Anyway, I digress.

When cooled, mix the icing by melting the (proper) butter in a microwave until almost melted, add the brown sugar then melt some more until starting to bubble.  Add a tsp or so of boiling water and the vanilla then mix in enough icing sugar to make a pipeable consistency, you can add more water or more icing for a thicker or thinner result.

Then either pipe or spoon the icing onto the top of your cakes and serve to the oohs and aahs of yourself / friends / family or five year olds*

*Delete as applicable

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