Lorraine Pascale’s Maltesers cupcakes

i bought a box of dark chocolate maltesers during my recent trip in Hong Kong…. i was so excited about it because where i reside (Beijing… *roll eyes*)… such chocolates are a delicacy… you cannot find maltesers here.. not even horlicks   ʅ(｡◔‸◔｡)ʃ

after a row of bread baking, i’d decided to bake some cupcakes. i had this recipe in my to-bake list for some time but have put it on hold as i did not have maltesers… not too bad a cupcake… tasty and naughty with the addition of maltesers

Lorraine Pascale’s Maltesers Cupcakes (recipes adapted from here)

Ingredients

For cupcakes
200g softened butter
150g caster sugar (I cut down to 120g)
50g brown sugar (I cut down to 40g light brown sugar)
A couple of drops of vanilla extract (I used 1 tsp of vanilla bean paste)
4 medium eggs
200g plain flour (I used cake flour)
10g baking powder
pinch of salt
80g Maltesers

Frosting recipe adapted from here
30ml milk
15g malt drink powder
80g softened butter
250g icing sugar
12 malt chocolate balls, such as Maltesers

Directions

– For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a cupcake/muffin tin with cupcake cases
– Cream together the butter and both sugars until it is light and fluffy
– Add all the vanilla and then the eggs on eat a time, whisking well after each addition. If the mixture begins to look like it has curdled add a couple of tbsp of the flour and beat well until the mixture looks smooth
– Using a metal spoon fold in the flour, baking powder and salt (add them altogether) and then stir in the Maltesers
– Divide the mixture equally between the 12 cupcake cases and bake in the oven for about 25 mins or until a skewer (or toothpick) inserted in to the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Once cooked remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin
– When cooled, make the frosting by first slightly warming the milk and adding the malt drink powder. Put aside to cool
– Beat the butter until smooth and add the icing sugar a quarter at a time. Beating thoroughly between each addition
– Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time and beat until light and fluffy. You may not need all the milk
– Pipe or smooth over the cakes and decorate with a Malteser

Personal notes:
– recipe did not state if Maltesers should be stirred into mixture as a whole but I chopped it up coarsely
– i baked the cupcakes for 16 mins and decorated the cupcake with halved Maltesers, sifted cocoa powder and melted chocolate

Happy baking (๑╹ڡ╹๑)

Pollution index: 61 (good)