Popping Candy Pinata Cupcakes

Happy Birthday Caking It Gluten Free!

It's been a whole year of Caking It!

What an incredible year it's been. There's been over 52 recipes, including layered cakes, cookies, sauces, muffins, and - of course - cupcakes!

I'm so thrilled to have been able to share this all with you, and I've really enjoyed the experience. I can't believe how much cake has been eaten, but life is short right?!

I started this blog to share recipes for goodies that growing up coeliac I could never have imaged eating. Gluten free baking was always thought of as incredibly temperamental and had a reputation for being dry and tasteless. That is absolutely not the case anymore! I'm so grateful for how far gluten free food has come!

So, let's get to the crux of the cupcakes!

These celebratory cupcakes are simply bursting with flavour! They're a real party filled with a secret surprise of sprinkles and popping candy. Believe me when I say your mouth will be a party!

I love pinata cakes because they're so fun and add an extra delicious POP of flavour.

And the best thing - they're so easy to assemble. Simply cut a cone-shape out the sponge, then fill with sprinkles and popping candy and top with swirled buttercream.

Of course, feel free to pop a candle on top like I did.

Let's get Caking It.

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Recipe

180C (170C fan)

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Prep: 10 mins

Bake: 18 mins

Assembly: 10 mins

Ingredients

Sponge

160g unsalted butter

160g caster sugar

4 medium eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

160g gluten free self-raising flour

1 tsp gluten free baking powder

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

2 tbsp sour cream

Filling

Sprinkles

25g Popping candy

Frosting

150g unsalted butter

350g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp milk

Pink, blue, and yellow food colouring gel

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Method: Sponge

Don't forget to wait until all the ingredients are room temperature before starting.

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Fill 12 muffin holes with cases.

2. With a fork, cream the butter until pale, then add the sugar and cream together until fully incorporated.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing with an electric whisk between each addition. Now add the vanilla extract.

4. 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.

5. Spoon in the sour cream and fold until combined.

6. Spoon 2 tbsp of the mixture into each muffin case.

7. 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 is a classic vanilla but with a beautiful

1. While the sponges are cooling, move onto the vanilla buttercream.

2. 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.

3. Add the vanilla extract and mix, and continue adding milk until a glossy, smooth and pipeable buttercream is formed.

4. Separate into 3 bowls and add a few drops of food colouring and 1/2 tsp of milk to each bowl. Mix until it is fully incorporated (no marble effect!) and add more colour if you want it deeper.

5. Spread a 1inch line of buttercream onto clingfilm from the bottom to 1/3 of the way up, and continue with the rest of the colours, making sure they touch. See the images above for reference. Roll up the buttercream, using the clingfilm to help you. Squeeze the top of the clingfilm and leave the bottom open, the put this into a piping bag, open side facing towards the piping nozzle.

Assembly

1. Making sure the sponges are completely cool, scoop out a cone shape.

2. With a teaspoon, fill the middle with sprinkles and a little popping candy.

3. Now simply pipe onto your cupcakes and it should produce a beautiful rainbow effect.

4. Sprinkle some more sprinkles and popping candy onto each.

5. Enjoy!