My reputation as a lover of cupcakes has spread and I was recently asked for my favourite cupcake recipe.

I always find it hard to pick a favourite because there are so many fabulous options out there and I want to bake and eat them all!

However this one, which incorporates my favourite sweet, Turkish Delight, into the cupcakes is a real winner. It was published in ABW, Quest Newspapers, March 23.  Thank you Belinda!

Here's the recipe

Turkish delight cupcakes

A really big texas (3/4 cup/180ml) cupcake pan is great for this recipe – it will make six – perfect for a dinner party.  If you use a smaller sized cupcake pan it will make nine. The rose pashmak is a great finishing touch but use it just before serving as it ‘wilts’ a bit.

I like the surprise of the chocolate and nuts inside the cupcake contrasted with the soft, chewy Turkish delight and the heavy texture of the cake.

The recipe is fairly simple to make but the effect is stunning. 

Ingredients

60 white eating chocolate, chopped roughly (could use white melts)

2 tablespoons rose water

½ cup (125ml) water

1/3 cup (45 g) pistachios

90 gm butter, softened

1 cup (220gm) firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2/3 cup (100gm) self raising flour

2 tablespoons plain flour

Decoration

900g Turkish delight chopped coarsely

2/3 cup (90g) coarsely chopped pistachios

300g white eating chocolate, melted (could use melts)

Rose pashmak (persian candy floss)

Method

•  Preheat oven to 180c/160c fan forced.  Line 6 hole texas muffin pan with paper cases.
• Stir chocolate, rose water and water in small saucepan over low heat until smooth.
• Blend or process nuts until smooth
• Beat butter, sugar and eggs in small bowl with electric mixer until combined. Stir in sifted flours, ground pistachios and warm chocolate mixture. Divide mixture among cases.
• Bake cakes about 35 minutes
• Turn cakes, top side up, onto wire rack to cool

To decorate

• Cut a 3 cm deep hole in the centre of each cake, fill with chopped nuts. Drizzle with chocolate, replace lids.
•  Decorate with pieces of Turkish delight and chopped nuts. 
• Drizzle over melted chocolate.
• Top with twirled strands of  rose pashmak  just before serving.

1.     

4.