Parkin Cupcakes with Toffee Buttercream

Parkin baked into cupcakes, topped with toffee buttercream and chocolate shards with popping candy

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Keyword Cupcake

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 25

Total Time 1 10

Servings

Calories 600kcal

Author thebakingexplorer

Melt the dark chocolate and pour it onto a lined baking tray to create a 2-3mm thick layer of chocolate. Sprinkle popping candy all over it and leave to set at room temperature
Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4, line a large cupcake or muffin tray with cupcake cases
In a pan on a low heat melt together the butter, soft brown sugar, black treacle and golden syrup. Don't let the mixture boil. Black treacle and golden syrup are very sticky so put the pan on your scales and measure them directly into it
In a large bowl stir together the oats, plain flour, baking powder, ground ginger, mixed spice, nutmeg and salt
Pour the warm treacle mixture into the oat mixture and combine the ingredients
In a small bowl beat the eggs and milk. Add it to the cupcake batter, mixing in well
Transfer the batter into a jug and divide it between the cupcake cases
Bake the cupcakes on for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool fully
Make the buttercream by mixing the butter on it's own for a few minutes, then add the icing sugar and caramel extract and mix together until smooth. If it is too thick, add the milk and mix in. Pipe it onto the cupcakes using a piping bag and nozzle
Using a sharp knife, slice the chocolate into shards and stick it into the buttercream
Store in an airtight container in a cool place, eat leftovers within 3 days

Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking. The butter/baking spread for the cupcake sponge can be cold as you're going to melt it anyway, it will just take a bit longer to melt.
I used a baking spread for the cupcakes and unsalted butter for the buttercream.
If you can, do use light brown soft sugar for the cupcakes as it makes them extra fudgey. You can use caster sugar if you can't get hold of it.
Mixed spice is a British spice blend containing cinnamon, coriander seed, nutmeg, clove, pimento, and ground ginger. If you can't get hold of it where you're based, you can use a Pumpkin Spice mix instead or add more of the other spices.
If you can't get hold of caramel extract, add 100g caramel sauce to the buttercream instead, you will also need 1-2 tbsp milk to loosen it.
I used dark chocolate for the shards, but you can use milk or white if you prefer, or a combination.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.