Christmas series: episode 2: Cranberry cupcakes with a bonus recipe in the end!🎄

Welcome to Little Chef’s Christmas! Today we’ll make something that I ve never tried before! I was lucky to have found the essence because finding cranberries is a little hard in my area. This recipe is very easy and is made with simple ingredients. And of course it’s Christmas special! Also, stay till the end of the post for a delicious, bonus recipe!

The cupcakes:

Ingredients:

¾ cup curd

¾ cup powdered sugar

1.5 tsp baking powder

¾ tsp baking soda

1/3 cup refined oil

1 ½  cup all purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp cranberry essence( use frozen or fresh cranberries if you find them. You can also replace it with raspberries)

Directions:

. First, add curd and powdered sugar in a bowl. Whisk it till it’s smooth for about 2-3 minutes. Make sure that the ingredients are at room temperature. You can use butter instead of oil, and condensed milk instead of curd but the best result and the fluffy cupcakes is with this recipe.

. Then add the essence and mix it well. Also add in the oil and make sure everything is incorporated.

. Now, add the baking powder and soda and mix it thoroughly. Leave it for about 1 minute until the baking powder and soda reacts with the curd and the whole mixture becomes frothy.

.this will help the cupcakes to rise properly while baking. Now, sift in the flour as we want the flour to make the cupcake every light and fluffy. Now, with cut and fold method slowly incorporate the flour into the wet ingredients. If you want you can add a drop or two of rose water, to give a very festive, fragrant odour but it’s totally optional.

. Line them in a cupcake tray with the liners and make sure the batter is not too thick oof thin

. Bake them in a preheated oven at 170*C for 10 to 15 minutes. Once they are done, let them cool down completely for at least 45 minutes before we frost them.

The frosting:

Ingredients:

½  cup non dairy whipping cream

Cranberry essence-2 to 3 drops

Any decorations that you like: edible pearls, sprinkles, chocolate chips, chocolate decorations.

Directions:

You can use buttercream too as whipping cream might not be at hand to everyone. Buttercream’s recipe is in my other cupcake recipes! Here is the link to that:

Buttercream guide

. For the whipping cream, place the whisk attachment and the bowl and freeze them for 30 minutes. Add the whipping cream in it and make sure you have an ice bath under the bowl in which you are whipping.

. I am using tropolite but you can also use cream powder

. Whip it till stiff peaks form and it’s not falling off the spatula. Now add a little flavouring of cranberry and you can even add cooled and melted white chocolate at this point because it goes really well with cranberry.

. Now, add it to a piping bag with any nozzle of your choice. Pipe it onto the cupcakes by applying pressure on the top of the bag.

. Now, decorate it with any sprinkles, chocolate decoration, syrup, anything! Chill them in the fridge for 30 minutes and serve! I am using melted chocolate decorations!

Now, for the bonus recipe,

We have, hot chocolateee!!!! Who can spend their Christmas without hot chocolate? So let’s get started! It’s a very simple recipe and with very minimal ingredients.

Ingredients:

2 cups milk

4 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp choco syrup ( if you don’t have syrup, then you can even use chocolate ice cream)

½ tsp vanilla

Directions:

. First, add sugar and cocoa to the pan that you will be using and mix it well making sure that the cocoa has no lumps.

. Now, add in the milk and stir till it’s very well combined. Now switch on the heat and cook it on medium flame. Don’t keep it on high or else it would burn. Now, when it has been cooking for 3-4 minutes, add the syrup/ice cream and the vanilla.

. This recipe serves for two cups and you can increase or decrease the quantity as required.

. You can add whipped cream on top but I like to have it plain. Serve hot and merry Christmas! Happy holidays everyone!