Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for Halloween to give out in little bags to any trick or treaters we got. I made sure to use non-artificial food colouring, because even though it didn't give the cupcakes a deep red colour it would make parents feel happier about their children eating them.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Makes 20 regular sized cupcakes or 50 minis

150 grams butter

150 grams caster sugar

2 eggs

Vanilla essence (2 drops)

Pinch of salt

125 grams plain flour sieved

25 grams cocoa powder sieved

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp red food colouring

 

• Preheat the oven to 190'C/375'F/Gas Mark 5. Line a cupcake tin with cases, or a mini cupcake tin with mini cases.
•  Beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Gradually add the egg, vanilla, salt and half of the flour and beat.
• Add the remaining flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and beat well.
• Add the food colouring and beat until the colour is evenly spread in the mixture.
• Fill the cupcake cases 3/4 full then bake for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer comes out of the cake clean.
• I melted white and milk chocolate for the topping then added halloween themed sprinkles on top. But you could put anything you like on top.

Walt Disney World's Marble Cupcake Review

If you find yourself in Disney's Hollywood Studios and fancy a snack, head on over to the Starring Rolls cafe and choose from their selection of savoury and bakery items. If you want something that's big enough to share and won't disappoint go for the Marble Cupcake. My first reaction when my boyfriend brought this cupcake out of the cafe, was that it was huge and I thought I'm glad he only bought one.

On top of the moist vanilla and chocolate cake are three large swirls of heavy vanilla frosting, it is very sweet and filling, so I suggest you share this cupcake with a friend. In the middle of the frosting swirl is a hidden gem of fudge. The cupcake has been rolled in chocolate sprinkles, not those artificial flavoured plastic sprinkles you buy from the store, but actual chocolate sprinkles. They have a nice flavour that gives you a slight bitter hint while eating through the frosting. The mickey sprinkles on top are a nice touch, they make sure you know you are eating a Disney cupcake and give the cupcake an aesthetic appeal when you are looking in the bakery case.

Cross section view of the Marble Cupcake.

The vanilla cake part of the marble cake was my favourite. It was very soft and had a mellow vanilla flavour that made me want an entire cake made just out of the vanilla cake. I enjoyed the chocolate cake too, it was slightly less sweet than the vanilla cake, which was a nice contrast of flavours when eaten together. I found the flavour of the cake was slightly lost when eaten with the frosting and fudge on top, but this is just because I really loved the vanilla cake. Overall this cake is amazing, one that should only be a treat after a long day walking around the parks, but then again you are on holiday so you shouldn't really count the calories.

Honey Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream

This cupcake was inspired by a lovely honey cupcake recipe I saw on anncoo journal. I decided to swap the whipped cream topping with a honey buttercream because I knew my cupcakes wouldn't be eaten straight away, and I didn't want the whipped cream to spoil or melt. I will write the recipe down for you here, but if you would rather have the whipped cream frosting just follow the link to the anncoo journal I pasted earlier. My cupcakes have been topped with crushed Graham Crackers, because I had some left from my American cupcakes and I felt the slightly salty taste of the Graham Crackers would complement the honey in the cake and buttercream.

Honey Cupcakes

Makes 10

125 grams butter softened

110 grams caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp honey

2 eggs

185 grams plain flour (sieved with baking powder)

1 tsp baking powder

125 ml milk

1. Preheat oven to 170'C/325'F/Gas Mark 3.
2. Line a cupcake tin with 10 cases.
3. Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and honey in a bowl until creamy.
4. Gradually add the eggs until combined.
5. Add the flour, baking powder and milk alternately and beat until combined.
6. Fill cases 3/4 of the way full.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until slightly brown on top and springy to the touch.

Honey Buttercream

115 grams unsalted butter

60 grams honey

280 grams icing sugar

2 tbsp milk

1. Cream the butter and honey together in a large bowl until it is light and fluffy.
2. Add half of the icing sugar and beat until creamy. 
3. Gradually add remaining sugar slowly while beating, until the buttercream is think.
4. Use the milk to thin out the buttercream if necessary. 
5. I decorated my cupcakes with crushed Graham Crackers to complement the honey flavour.