Double Rainbow Cupcakes Recipes

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MINT CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
• Whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center. Add the buttermilk, oil, 1 teaspoon peppermint extract and the eggs to the well and whisk together until there are just a few streaks remaining. Add the chocolate chips and fold them into the batter with a rubber spatula until just combined.
• Using an ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake liner about halfway to two-thirds full with batter. Bake until set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few a crumbs, about 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely in the pan.
• Meanwhile, place the frosting in a medium bowl. Fold in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract, then add the broken candy and fold together using a rubber spatula. Place a dollop of frosting on top of each cupcake and use an offset spatula to spread. Dust the tops with red sprinkles, if using.

RAINBOW CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and fill a cupcake tray with 10 cases.
• Beat the butter, vanilla and caster sugar together with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Gradually whisk in the eggs, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
• Mix in the flour and a pinch of salt until just combined. Divide into five bowls and colour each a different shade with a drop of food colouring. We chose red, yellow, green, blue and purple.
• Starting with the end of the rainbow (in our case purple), evenly spread 1 tsp of the mixture into each cupcake case using a piping bag or the back of a teaspoon. Top with 1 tsp of the next colour and spread - be careful not to mix the colours together whilst bringing the mix all the way to the edge of the case. Repeat until all the colours are used up and you're left with an even layer of red on the top.
• Bake for 15 mins, until a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
• To make the buttercream, beat the butter until very soft. Add the icing sugar, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt and whisk together until smooth (start off slowly to avoid an icing sugar cloud). Beat in the milk until combined.
• Pipe the buttercream on top of the cupcakes using a circular nozzle, or spread on with a palette knife. Top with sprinkles, if you like.