Choco Cointreau Christmas Tree Cupcakes

 

 

You will need...

 

Cake

• 2 large eggs
• 120g Self raising flour
• 140g Caster sugar
• 140g Marg or butter
• 20g cocopowder
• a handful of white and milk chocolate chips
• Cointreau

Icing

• 80g of butter for icing
• 250g icing sugar
• splash of milk
• Green colouring
• Decorations (such as chocolate stars, coloured balls etc)

Other

• A cupcake tray
• 12 cupcake cases
• an icing bag and wide star nozzle

 
Getting started...

 Put the cases into the cupcake tray and pre heat oven to 180 degrees
  
Making the main cakes
1. Put the 140g of butter into a large bowl and mix well with the caster sugar
2. Add half the flour and one egg and mix
3. Add the other egg, rest of the flour and the coco powder
4. Mix until light and fluffy with the coco powder is well distributed
5. Throw in the chocolate chips and give it a final stir
6. Put a heaped dessert spoon of the mix into each of the cases
7. Bake for 25 minutes until the cakes are springy
8. When the cakes come out of the oven, put are still warm, pour a couple of teaspoons of cointreau over each cake



Making the icing and decorating
1. Put 80g of butter in a bowl with the icing sugar
2. Add a drip of green food colouring and a splash of milk
3. Mix very slowly with the back of a spoon until all of the icing sugar is mixed with the butter and won't fly up in the air when the electric mixer goes in!
4. Mix well until fluffy. Add a little more milk if neccessary remembering that the icing needs to be able to hold its shape but also pipe.
5. Spoon the icing into the icing bag (using a large star nozzle)
6. Start by piping a circle taking up about 3/4 of the cake, then add a whirl on top, giving a final squeeze to the bag before letting go.
7. Repeat on the other 11 cakes
8. Add decorations, like sugar or chocolate stars/snowflakes and chocolate balls
9. Admire!
10. Enjoy!