Ingredients
You will need (original recipe here, mine is slightly different):
- 2 eggs (I used half a goose egg)
- 125g butter
- 125g caster sugar
- 225g self-raising flour
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
For the icing: - 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 65g butter
- 125g icing sugar (I used the Silver Spoon Chocolate icing sugar I was sent)
- Chocolate chips to decorate (I used the Silver Spoon ones I was sent)
Method
Preheat an oven to 180C and line a cupcake tin with 12 cases. I don’t have a cupcake tin so I use silicone cupcake cases.
Place the eggs, butter, sugar, flour, vanilla and maple syrup in a bowl and mix together until smooth. I used an electric hand whisk for this.
Divide the batter between the cases then place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until baked.
Remove the cupcakes from the oven and leave to cool.
Make the icing by beating together the butter and icing sugar then add the maple syrup and beat until light and fluffy.
Fill a piping bag and pipe onto the cupcakes. Decorate with the chocolate chips.
You will notice that there are no pecans about my maple and pecan cupcakes. That’s because I wanted to decorate it with chocolate rather than pecans.
The above method is how it should have gone. This is how it actually went.
First of all the goose egg was made out of the hardest substance I’ve ever come across (apart from dried on Weetabix). I tried cracking it on the edge of the bowl and tapping it with a knife to no avail. In the end I had to stab it to make a hole to get a knife in to prise it open. It was lovely though.
Despite having my butter out of the fridge for hours before I started it was still too cold so my cake mix required extra help to make it smooth and fluffy. The baking of the cakes was quite successful; a little cracked on top but not to worry. I left them to cool and set about making the icing.
Perhaps my bowl was too small, perhaps I was a little over enthusiastic, the butter was probably still too cold. Whatever it was, icing sugar went everywhere; like a cloud of chocolate dust and me looking like a crazy scientist trying to wield and manipulate the icing to behave. After much persuasion, frowning and furious beating I had made a decent icing.
What I hadn’t realised was that my hand beater was also pretty irate and had decided to stop rotating one of the beaters. It meant that they were wedged into the mixer head and were seemingly irremovable; brute force and ignorance saved the day.
I got out a piping nozzle and went to make a piping bag from a freezer bag (just like on the television). No, not like the television as my nozzle went shooting across the kitchen floor after the slightest bit of bag squeezing. So out came my proper plastic lined canvas piping bag to finish the job (I so couldn’t be bothered to wash this up). As you can see piping is not my forte. Again, too cold butter meant too hard icing to pipe well.
After they were iced and chocolate dropped I was ready for a gin.
Did it matter? No. I made these cupcakes for my Mum and she thought they were great. When she ate it and enjoyed it all of the above frustrations melted away as something I had made (slightly wonky, not quite perfect) was making someone happy. And that’s why I love baking.
Thanks to Baking Mad for the samples. All opinions expressed are my own.
That’s proper baking, sounds like a regular occurrence here! Agree they make piping look so easy, I got in a proper mess the other night trying to ice cookies but couldn’t find the nozzle ring so was loose in the bag = icing mostly over me and the floor! Ahh I love baking too 🙂
Fab comination btw, is my favourite things all together!
How refreshingly honest, Caroline! If you were to believe everything you saw on TV or read on a blog, you would think that all bakers were perfect.
Goose egg? I wonder how does it taste 🙂
I never knew goose eggs existed, not over here. Love the circled like shape of the cupcake. Nice to see and must have been heavenly in taste too.
The gin was well deserved, though it’s good to read about the hard work, too. Now they sound more like maple chocolate cupcakes. I always keep on the lookout for pecans, but never spot any. So, the cupcakes look perfectly fine for me.
We find this very funny from Spain ja ja ja ja ja!
That is one huge goose egg! Does it taste much richer than chicken’s egg?
I’m so glad the cupcakes worked out even if after all those troubles! They certainly look great!
…with pipping….it often seems that I don’t have enough hands to do it. It looks like you’ve mastered it pretty well! 🙂 ela
I’ve never tried using a goose egg before (however, I love that someone offered it to you at a pub). Your cupcakes look delicious though!
Goose egg is so new to me, but awesome 😀
Lovely looking cupcake, the frosting looks so inviting 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
i’ve never tried baking or cooking with a goose egg, but i’d imagine there are some allowances to be made. sorry it didn’t work out perfectly!
Wow! That is one big egg. I think I would have been ready for a gin too! I am glad your mom liked them.
I’ve never seen a goose egg…how cool! That thing is massive. These cupcakes sound great.
Brilliantly honest post about the real life side of baking! Sorry I had a little chuckle at your expense here but I just recognised so many of my own experiences in yours! I once spent almost 24 hours solid trying to make/transport a giant sausage dog cake for my niece in the searing heat which almost cost me my relationship but the smile on her face when we presented it to her made it more than worth it – my other half still thought I was totally mad, but that’s why we all do it!
I’ve never baked with goose eggs – they are HUGE! The cupcakes look and sound wonderful. I am glad your mom loved them.