Santa Hat Chocolate Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

CUPCAKES

• 1 ½ cups cake flour
• ½ tsp. bicarbonate soda
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. salt
• 160g unsalted butter
• 200g caster sugar
• 50g brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla paste
• ½ cup fresh ricotta
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup boiling water

MERINGUE

• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup caster sugar
• Pinch tartaric acid
• ½ tsp. vanilla paste

BUTTERCREAM

• 320 unsalted butter
• 4 cups icing sugar
• Unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla paste
• 2 tbsp. milk
• Red food colouring – super red

 

DIRECTIONS - CUPCAKES

1. Pre-heat the oven to 175°C.
2. Into a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, bi-carbonate soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt.
3. Place the butter and sugars into a pot and stir until melted, then put into KAMBROOK bench mixer bowl with the beater attachment and beat for 5 minutes or until cool.
4. Add the eggs one by one, beating well between additions.
5. Place the cocoa powder and water together and stir until completely lump free and then add to the butter, sugar and egg mixture, beat until well combined.
6. Fold in the dry ingredients and ricotta alternately.
7. Place a ¼ cup of cake batter into lined cupcake trays and bake for 18 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
8. Let cool for 10 minutes in the cupcake tin and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

MERINGUE

1. Place the egg whites and sugar into a stainless steel bowl and whisk to combine. Place the stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Place the egg whites into the bench mixer bowl and whisk for 10 minutes until glossy and stiff. Add the vanilla paste and whisk for a further minute to incorporate the vanilla paste.
2. Set the meringue aside.

BUTTERCREAM AND ASSEMBLY

1. Place the icing sugar, butter, vanilla and milk into the bowl of the bench mixer and beat until light and fluffy.
2. Add the red food colouring until the desired shade of red is reached.
3. Place the red buttercream into a piping bag with medium round nozzle attached.
4. Pipe the red hat onto the top of the cupcake.
5. Place the meringue into a clean piping bag with a small star nozzle attached and pipe small stars around the base of the red buttercream and a small star at the top of the red buttercream to resemble Santa’s hat.