Chocolate Carrot Patch Cupcakes
These Chocolate Carrot Patch Cupcakes are the ultimate festive treat for Easter. Featuring a moist chocolate sponge, rich cocoa buttercream, and a ‘garden’ made of Oreo crumbs and chocolate-covered strawberries, they look as good as they taste!
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 67 minutes
- Yield: 12 Cupcakes
- Cuisine: British
Ingredients
Unsalted butter (room temperature) – 200 g
Light brown soft sugar – 200 g
Medium eggs – 4
Self-raising flour – 150 g
Cocoa powder – 50 g
Unsalted butter (for buttercream) – 200 g
Icing sugar – 350 g
Cocoa powder (for buttercream) – 50 g
Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
Oreo cookies (finely crushed) – 60 g
Strawberries (medium/large) – 12
White chocolate – 200 g
Orange food coloring – as needed
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºfan and prep 12 muffin sized cupcake cases.
Add the unsalted butter and light brown soft sugar to a bowl and beat together until light and creamy.
Add the self raising flour, cocoa powder and eggs and beat until a smooth cake mixture is formed.
Split the mixture between the 12 cases and bake in the oven for 20-22 minutes, or until baked through.
Leave the cupcakes to cool fully on a wire rack.
For the buttercream, beat the unsalted butter for a few minutes until smooth and supple.
Add the icing sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla extract and beat again until smooth. Add boiling water if needed.
Prep the strawberries by cleaning and drying them thoroughly.
Melt the white chocolate, add orange food coloring, and mix until smooth.
Dunk each strawberry into the orange chocolate and let set on a lined tray in the fridge.
Pipe a large round blob of buttercream onto each cupcake.
Press each cupcake into the fine Oreo crumbs to create the ‘dirt’ effect.
Place a chocolate-coated strawberry carrot into the center of each cupcake and enjoy!
Notes
• Ensure strawberries are bone-dry before dipping, or the chocolate will seize.
• Use oil-based food coloring for the chocolate to avoid clumping.
• If the buttercream is too stiff, 1-3 teaspoons of boiling water will make it silky smooth.
Find it online: https://sweetcraftrecipes.com/chocolate-carrot-patch-cupcakes/