Polar Express:

Christmas Cupcakes

Recipe:

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes- the Polar Express (Link)

Cupcakes (a dozen)

  • 120g (2 cups) all-purpose flour

  • 201g (1 cups) granulated sugar

  • 25g (½ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoons baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 2 eggs

  • 120g (1 cup) buttermilk

  • 109g (1 cup) vegetable oil

  • 118.5g (1 cup) hot water


Buttercream


Toppings and Decoration:

  • Mini candy canes, cut to fit (“sharp pair of kitchen scissors” to cut it till fit)

  • Mini marshmallows

  • Chocolate chips

  • Crushed candy canes

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix well.

  2. Add in vanilla, eggs, buttermilk, and vegetable oil mixing until smooth. Pour in hot water and mix well. Batter will be very thin.

  3. Pour batter into prepared cupcake liners, about ⅔ full. Bake in preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

  4. To make the frosting, beat softened butter with an electric mixer over medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add in marshmallow creme and beat until combined. Finally add in the powdered sugar and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl and mixing until smooth.

  5. Top the cooled cupcakes with frosting, then sprinkle each one with mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and crushed candy canes. Add a candy cane handle by inserting the hook end of the candy cane into the top-side of each cupcake. Enjoy soon after decorating.


History of Cupcakes:

The name for cupcakes hadn't sprung until 1828 when Eliza Leslie, an author of cookbooks during the 19th century, published the recipe for the very first cupcake. It was the earliest documentation of cupcakes. However the history of this sweet delight is still vague, and there is no single inventor of it. Cupcakes were only decorated with vanilla or chocolate frosting in the 1920s.

Information time! The difference between a cupcake and a muffin is its texture. Muffins batters are thicker, which makes it have a denser texture in the end. Cupcakes are the opposite- they are light and fluffy, because their batters are smooth and soft.


Citations:

A Brief History Of The Cupcake - Divine Specialties. (2022). Retrieved 5 January 2022, from https://www.divinespecialties.com/brief-history-cupcake/

(2022). Retrieved 5 January 2022, from https://www.masterclass.com/articles/the-difference-between-cupcake-and-muffin-explained#6-differences-between-cupcakes-and-muffins