Mince Pie Cupcakes With Brandy Buttercream

These cupcakes are delicious, festive and put a twist on classic mince pies. They're also super quick and easy to make and even quicker if the mincemeat is made up in advance. You can get the recipe for our boozy chocolate mincemeat here. The cupcakes are absolutely stuffed with mincemeat and pair perfectly well with the brandy buttercream and are great for Christmas parties where they're guaranteed to be devoured within minutes! So without further ado let's get on with the festive recipe!

Happy Baking!

The Chai Home 😋

INGREDIENTS

Approx 12 servings (we recommend using a silicone cupcake tray so that paper cupcake moulds are not needed)

For the cake batter

• 150g of butter (room temperature)

• 150g of caster sugar

• 3x eggs

• 150g of self-raising flour

• 2x tsp of vanilla extract

• 2x tbsp of milk

For the mincemeat filling

• Approx 1 1/2 tsp per cake

For the brandy buttercream

• 200g of butter (room temperature)

• 400g of sieved icing sugar

• 1x tsp of vanilla extract

• 3x tsp of brandy

• orange zest (for decorating)

METHOD

For the cake batter

Preheat the oven to 180C

Start by creaming the butter and sugar together in your free standing mixer.

Now add the eggs and beat until combined.

Add the flour and starting on a low speed to avoid flour going everywhere mix until fully combined.

Now add all the other ingredients and mix together well until fully combined.

Transfer equal amounts of the batter to your cupcake moulds (we use an ice cream scoop to ensure equal amounts).

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until cooked.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Once cooled, using a small sharp knife, remove the centre of the cupcake, but make sure only to go 3/4 of the way down, not completely to the bottom, then remove the centre and repeat with all the other cupcakes (try to keep them intact so you can add them back on top). Now add the mincemeat to the holes and then top them with the removed pieces of cake.

For the brandy buttercream

Add all of the ingredients to your free standing mixer and mix together well until the buttercream has formed.

Add the buttercream to a piping bag with a star-shaped nozzle and decorate, ensuring to leave a gap at the edges of the cake.

Serve and enjoy!

Merry Christmas!