Hogmanay Hourglass Cupcakes is a modern Scottish recipe for a classic chocolate cupcake flavoured with whisky that is topped with fondant icing and decorated with an hourglass for hogmanay. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Scottish version of: Hogmanay Hourglass Cupcakes.
For the Decoration:
Fondant Icing
red, yellow and white food colouring
Method:
Cream together the butter and muscovado sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, a little at a time, beating thoroughly to combine after each addition then beat in the whisky.
Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and chocolate chips in a bowl. Mix well then, using a large metal spoon, fold the flour mix into the creamed mixture.
Line the wells of a muffin tin with large paper cupcake cases and divide the cake batter between them. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 160°C (320°F) and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until well risen and just firm to the touch. Remove from the oven, carefully take out of the muffin tin and set aside to cool.
Take about 1/3 of the fondant icing and colour it red then take a small piece and colour it yellow.
Roll the white fondant icing about 6mm (1/4 in) thick and cut out circles large enough to cover the tops of the cupcakes. Moisten with water and attach to the tops of the cupcakes.
Roll out the red fondant and cut out hourglass (8) shapes. Use the remaining white fondant to make inserts for the hourglasses (you should end up with a red hourglass outline and white inserts in the middle). Finally, roll out the yellow icing and cut this into the shape of sand. Either have sand piling up at the bottom or falling down from the top, symbolizing the new and old years. Stick the assembled hourglass on the centre of each cupcake.
Alternatively, make amore of the batter, bake in a shallow dish and cut out hourglass shapes from this. Arrange on the sponge hourglass on the centre of each cupcake and pick it out with white or coloured icing, as you prefer.
