Fireworks Cupcakes

 

So this was my other Guy Fawkes' inspired cupcake idea.  Yes, I was supposed to do these last week but was so worn out on the Monday that I could not find the energy for them.  So they've been left to today, ready for the fiancé to take to Dundee tomorrow.

The idea is quite a simple one.  They are vanilla cupcakes, topped with blue icing, with drawn firework decoration on top, plus some edible silver balls for a bit of sparkle.  The secret is that in the middle of the cakes is some popping candy.  It's also been sprinkled onto the icing too.  So when you bite into the cake, you get a tingling, popping sensation in your mouth!  It is quite fun and amusing.

They taste rather yummy, if I say so myself, and, as I said, the popping candy adds a nice tingle to everything.  The only thing I'm disappointed with is the decoration.  Mainly the colour of the blue icing.  No matter how much blue I added to it, I couldn't make it dark navy coloured.  Even adding black didn't help (seriously, Morrisons food colouring sucks).  So I got stuck with light blue, meaning the fireworks didn't stand out very well.  Not that they look that good anyway.  Drawing fireworks is hard!  I like some designs more than others.  I dislike the spiral ones and the ones shooting up from an edge look the best.

Recipe - makes 12

Note: The 'poppy-ness' of the candy does deteriorate after being in contact with the cakes for a while, so these are best eaten on the day they are made and as fresh as possible. 

Cakes

• 170g/6oz butter
• 170g/6oz caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 170g/6oz self-raising flour
• 6 x 10g packets popping candy in flavour of choice (I used strawberry)

Icing

• 225g/8oz royal icing sugar
• 20ml/0.7fl.oz water
• Blue food colouring
• Edible silver balls
• Coloured writing icing
• 1 x 10g packet poppy candy 

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and line a 12 hole muffin tray with cases (preferably dark blue ones).
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy.
3. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and then gradually add to the sugar butter, beating after each addition until well incorporated.
4. Mix in the vanilla extract.
5. Add the flour and fold into the mixture.
6. Fill the paper cases and then bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until risen, golden and springy to the touch.
7. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
8. Pour the 6 packets of popping candy into a small bowl, ready to use.
9. When the cakes have cooled, use a small knife or an apple core to cut out a hole that reaches about halfway into the cakes.
10. Fill each hole with about 1/2 teaspoon popping candy and then replace the sponge cores.
11. Make the icing by mixing the icing sugar, water and blue food colouring together.  You want quite a stiff icing that holds its shape.
12. Use a spoon to spread the icing on top of each cake.
13. Use the writing icing to draw firework patterns on top of the blue and then add silver balls for a little sparkle.
14. Sprinkle the last packet of popping candy over the top of the cakes.