Have you lost your mind?! I think I might have it..!
How creepy and (surprisingly) realistic do these brain cupcakes look?
Not only did I surprise myself with the decoration (which is fantastically easy) but I surprised myself with the flavours. The combination of the super soft peanut butter sponge, with the peanut butter buttercream, and the jammy centre is even more delicious than I imagined!
The wonderful distinctive peanut butter flavour really sings in these.
They bake fantastically, and you'll be surprised at how easy they are to do. Simply mix it all up and bake!
The best way to go about decorating these is to not think about it too much.
Start by covering the cupcakes in a thin layer of peanut butter buttercream, then fill a pining bad with a thick round nozzle.
Pipe a line down the middle of each cupcake and then pipe swirls back and forth down either side of the line. I would recommend half an hour in the fridge before covering with jam to firm them up.
And that's it. You've created eerily realistic brain cupcakes that taste fantastic.
So, now you have a whole bunch of Halloween inspired cupcakes to choose from for your Halloween bash. Witch Mocha Cupcakes, Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, Frankenstein Mint Chocolate Cupcakes, and now these. What ones will you pick?
Happy Halloween, let's get Caking It.
Recipe
180C (170C fan)
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Prep: 15 mins
Bake: 20 mins
Assembly: 5 mins
Ingredients
Sponge
160g unsalted butter
160g light brown sugar
4 medium eggs
160g gluten free self-raising flour
1 tsp gluten free baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
160g smooth peanut butter
Filling
Strawberry jam, no lumps
Frosting
200g unsalted butter
400g icing sugar
100g smooth peanut butter
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Method: Sponge
Don't forget to wait until all the ingredients are room temperature before starting.
Preheat oven to 180C. Fill 12 muffin holes with cases.
With a fork, cream the butter until pale, then add the sugar and cream together until fully incorporated.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing with an electric whisk between each addition.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and xanthan gum with a fork, and then add this to the mixture, mixing until fully incorporated.
Spoon in the peanut butter and mix until combined.
Fill the cupcake cases until they're 3/4 full, or around 2 tbsp in each.
Let the mixture sit in the cases for 20 minutes before placing in an oven for 18 minutes. A skewer or toothpick inserted into the cupcakes should come out clean.
Method: Buttercream
This buttercream goes so fantastically with the strawberry jam.
While the sponges are cooling, move onto the peanut butter buttercream.
Cream the butter until pale, and gradually add in the icing sugar until it is all incorporated. You can do this either with a standing mixer, an electric hand whisk, or a fork. At this point the mixture should be a little stiff.
Add the peanut butter buttercream and incorporate. You may need a splash of milk to loosen it slightly.
Assembly
Making sure the sponges are completely cool, scoop out the middle of the cupcake with an apple corer, taking care not to go right down to the bottom.
With a teaspoon, fill the middle with jam.
Cover them with a layer of buttercream. Then with a thick round piping tip, pipe a line down the middle of each, and swirls either side to create a brain effect.
If you have the time, place in the fridge for half an hour to let the buttercream set before smoothing a thin layer of jam on top, making it look like gooey blood.
Enjoy!
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