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Ginger Cupcakes with Mulled Wine Sultanas

Oooo look what arrived in the post last week? What a treat!

I sometimes get requests from PR agencies to review their products but most of the time the products are not relevant to the Dairy Diary blog.

When Hotel Chocolat
contacted me though,
I just couldn’t resist!

Inside this beautifully wrapped package I discovered a pot of Mulled Wine Sultanas. Perfect, I thought, for using to top cupcakes to sell for Children in Need.

After perusing all our diaries and cookbooks, I opted for ginger muffins, a subtly spiced cake, to complement the spices in the sultanas.

Ginger Cupcakes with Mulled Wine Sultanas

For the muffins

Muffin cases 12-15
Egg 1
Caster sugar 200g (7oz)
Plain flour 350g (12oz), sifted
Baking powder 1½ tsp
Ground ginger 2 tsp
Ground cinnamon 1½ tsp
Butter 225g (8oz)
Black treacle 175g (6oz)
Milk 200ml (7fl oz)
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Line a muffin tray with 12-15 paper cases.

1 In a bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar until fluffy.

2 Sift the dry ingredients into a separate, large bowl and make a well in the centre.

3 Melt the butter and treacle in a small saucepan. Cool slightly and then fold into the dry ingredients along with the egg mixture.

4 Bring the milk to the boil and then stir into the mixture.

5 Spoon into the paper cases and then bake for 20-25 minutes, until well risen and firm. Cool on a wire rack.

I then topped the muffins with piped buttercream (from the Dairy Book of Home Cookery of course).

For the buttercream topping

Butter 125g (5oz)
Icing sugar 275g (10oz), sifted
Milk 2½ tbsp

1 Beat the butter until soft.

2 Gradually beat in the icing sugar and milk.

3 Spoon into a piping bag and pipe in concentric circles on top of the muffins.

And to finish, I used the Mulled Wine Sultanas and chocolate gold pearls (from the cake decoration dept in the supermarket) to give the cupcakes the wow factor.

I put several boxes of cakes on sale in the office kitchen to raise money for Children in Need. And guess what? They sold in minutes – and were a big hit with my fellow office-workers.

Now’s your chance to sample something yummy.

Hotel Chocolat has kindly
offered a tub of delectable
Mulled Wine Sultanas to one of you.

Enter here for your chance to win.

Win a tub of delectable Hotel Chocolat Mulled Wine Sultanas

These mulled wine sultanas make the perfect grown-up treat. Every sultana has been soaked in fortified wine, along with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, allspice, mace and ginger, until plump and full of festive spice. Popped into a festively decorated tub for easy nibbling.

Good luck!