Raspberry ripple ice-cream cupcakes

With the sun finally shining in London over the last couple of weeks, I was invited to my first barbecue of the year, and wanted to take along a sweet treat. I decided to bake some raspberry ripple ice-cream cupcakes for two reasons… One – they are delicious! And two – they really have the wow-factor! I love the surprise on people’s faces when they see me arrive with a tray of ice-cream cones, only to realise it’s all made from cake! This recipe can be adapted to mimic any of your favourite ice-cream flavours, but this is my personal favourite…

You will need
twelve ice-cream cup cones
175g butter/margarine (for the sponge)
175g caster sugar
3 eggs (beaten)
175g self raising flour
1tsp baking powder
1tsp vanilla essence
fresh raspberries
150g butter/margarine (for the buttercream)
250g icing sugar
raspberry sauce
chocolate flakes
foil
piping bag and Wilton 1M nozzle
a twelve-hole muffin tin

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Cover the muffin tin with a layer of foil, and push an ice-cream cone through the foil into each space – you may need to use a knife to ease the cones through the foil.

Cream together the butter and caster sugar, then gradually mix in the beaten eggs. Add the flour, baking powder and vanilla essence and stir until mixed thoroughly. Spoon the cake batter into the ice-cream cones until they are about two thirds full, then push two fresh raspberries into the cones with your fingers until covered by the cake batter. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the sponge has risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Leave the cakes to cool, and make the buttercream by beating together the remaining butter and icing sugar until thick and creamy. Once the cupcakes have cooled, spoon the buttercream into the piping bag and pipe swirls of buttercream onto the cupcakes. Finish with a drizzle of raspberry sauce and a flake.

If necessary, firm the buttercream up by placing the completed cupcakes in the fridge for an hour or two.