Light ginger cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream

I know that some flavours or ingredients are seen as summer or winter flavours but that never really bothers me. On the hottest day of the year I’ll happily tuck into boiled cabbage and not understand why other people think that’s odd. Consequently, I haven’t let the small matter of summer thwart my desire for ginger and spices.

These gold cases were a most welcome gift from the CCM (Caked Crusader’s Ma). It seemed only right to make one of the CCM’s favourite things (ginger cake) in them!

This recipe is from Janet Smith’s Cupcakes book. I think this is a terrific book yet have seen little mention of it elsewhere. Having said that, I do think that the quantities she gave for the buttercream were extremely mean, so I doubled it and that’s the quantity I set out below.

I used a superb packet of butter provided by Abel and Cole. I wouldn’t use such special butter for something like a cheesecake biscuit base, but for a cupcake and buttercream I think you can taste the quality.

These little cupcakes are up there amongst the most delicious things I’ve made – I feel like I should stress that as they’re not all that to look at. The warmth of the ginger burns softly in your throat rather than mouth and is so comfortingly delicious! Don’t know whether anyone else does this, but here’s my tip for a flavour sensation in your mouth: eat a mouthful of ginger cake then a sip of hot tea. For reasons I don’t understand, the ginger just explodes in your mouth.

The cinnamon buttercream is lovely too – you get the hint of spice but it compliments rather than over powers the ginger.

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
115g unsalted butter (I used this gorgeous butter from Abel and Cole)
115g dark soft brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk, plus extra if necessary
1 tablespoon black treacle
150g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
6 pieces of stem ginger, drain the syrup off and chop finely – I did it in the food processor

For the buttercream:
80g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
160g icing sugar
1 tablespoon hot water

How to make:

- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

- Place 18 paper cases across two muffin pans.

- Beat the butter until soft then beat in the sugar.

- Add the eggs, milk, black treacle, flour, baking powder and ground ginger and beat until well combined.

- If the mixture is not at dropping consistency i.e. falls from the spoon easily, add a dash more milk.

- Stir in the chopped stem ginger.

- Spoon the mixture into the paper cases and bake for approximately 12 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly. Mine took 15 minutes.

- Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

- Meanwhile, make the buttercream: Place the butter in a bowl and beat until soft.

- Add the cinnamon and icing sugar and beat until smooth and well combined.

- Beat in the hot water to make a nice, spreadable buttercream.

- Spread over the cupcakes.

- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.

- Eat.