Mini cupcakes with vanilla and liquorice root powder

Here’s another recipe for a sweet dish I made for the baby shower. Again its vanilla cake, but this time the frosting is flavored with liquorice. I love liquorice, especially black salty liquorice, it’s the best! But that would be a bit much for these delicate mini cupcakes. So instead I used liquorice root powder, which is nice and sweet -and the liquorice flavor is quite subtle for those of you that don’t like liquorice.

They turned out great, and looked so cute.

A perfect little mouthful.

I feel like baking something else with liquorice now…

Ingredients;

120g plain flour

140g caster sugar

1 ½ tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

40g unsalted butter, at room temperature

120ml whole milk

1 egg

¼tsp vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean

Frosting ingredients;

300g icing sugar, sifted

50g unsalted butter, at room temperature

125g cream cheese, cold

2 tsp of liquorice root powder

Food color

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined. Gradually pour in half the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.

Whisk the egg, vanilla extract, seeds from the vanilla bean and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Do not overmix.

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until light golden and the sponge bounces back when touched.

How to make the frosting:

Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.

Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed. Pour in the liquorice powder and stir. Now add food color at this point. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 mins.

Spoon or pipe the cream cheese frosting on top of a cold cupcakes.