Ever wondered what it would be like to try a royally-approved cake? Well, now you can, as we have the recipe for the Queen's very own chocolate cupcakes!
Her Majesty's royal pastry chefs revealed the coveted formula earlier this year to mark the monarch's 94th birthday – which fell on 21 April.
Posted on the royal family's official Twitter page, fans were treated to photos of the pretty sweet treats, covered with pastel-coloured icing and decorated with sweet nods to the Queen, including delicate roses and gold crowns.
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"Happy birthday to Her Majesty! To celebrate The Queen's birthday we are sharing a chocolate cupcake recipe from The Royal Pastry Chefs," the caption read, before encouraging followers to get creative in the kitchen and share their own cake pictures.
While these cupcakes are finished with royal icing, the recipe can be tweaked to use buttercream instead, depending on personal preference - but there's something quite special about baking cakes from the Queen's own culinary team, using the aptly named royal icing, don't you think?
So if you know of someone who is celebrating a birthday, these cakes are easy to make and delicious...
The Queen's chocolate cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients for the Queen's chocolate cupcakes
Cake sponge (serves approximately 15)
- 15g vinegar
- 300ml milk
- 50ml vegetable oil
- 60g butter (melted and cool)
- 2 eggs
- 5ml of vanilla essence
- 250g of self-raising flour
- 75 of cocoa powder
- 300g caster sugar
- 10g bicarbonate of soda
- 100g white chocolate chips
- cupcake cases
Buttercream icing
- 90g of high percentage dark chocolate
- 100g butter
- 125g icing sugar
Royal icing, instead of buttercream
- Add food colouring to pre-made royal icing to create different colours
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INSTRUCTIONS
Instructions for the Queen's chocolate cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 150 C
- Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl
- Whisk the eggs in a separate jug, with the vanilla essence, melted butter, oil, milk and vinegar
- Slowly add the wet mixture into the dry mixture, little by little. Ensure the batter is smooth with no lumps. Finally, add the chocolate chips (alternatives could be nuts, dried fruit)
- Lay the cupcake cases onto a tray. Divide the mixture into the cases and bake for around 15-18 minutes
Buttercream icing
- Cream the sugar and butter together, until light and creamy. Add in the warm melted chocolate
- Pipe the icing on the top of cakes for decoration, or gently use a teaspoon or small spatula to ice
Royal icing
- Roll the icing out and cut into circular disks
- Lay the disc over the cupcake and mould to the required shape
