Chocolate Easter cupcakes with amaretto soaked raisins and a hidden marzipan layer inside. They're topped with amaretto chocolate buttercream and decorated with crystallised flowers.
Place a couple of spoonfuls of caster sugar in another small bowl.
Make sure your edible flowers are clean and dry.
Hold the flowers by the stem and using a clean artist's paintbrush, paint the tops and undersides with the egg white.
As soon as you've painted each flower dip it in the sugar and sprinkle more over as needed with a teaspoon. Shake off the access then lay them down on a tray lined with baking paper to dry. Cut off any stems at this point.
Leave to dry over night, then put in an airtight tin until ready to use. They should last a few days.
Cakes
Soak the raisins in the amaretto overnight in a covered bowl. Give an occasional stir if you're passing.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl suspended over a pan of hot, but not boiling, water.
Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs.
Sieve in the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated.
Stir in about ⅓ of the melted chocolate and the yoghurt.
Mix in the raisins and any remaining ameretto.
Spoon half the mixture into 12 muffin holder lined with cupcake cases.
Roll out the marzipan and use a 5cm circular cutter to stamp out 12 rounds.
Place over the cupcake mixture, then cover with the remaining mixture.
Bake at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4) for 20 minutes until risen and firm to the touch.
Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
Chocolate Buttercream
Add the butter to the remaining melted chocolate. If the chocolate has hardened, just place it back onto a pan of hot water.
Sift in the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
Stir in the amaretto.
Either use to pipe crosses onto the cakes or spread it over the tops with a palate knife.
Place a crystallised flower on the top of each cake.
Notes
If you don't have any stems with your flowers, use tweezers to hold them instead.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They're approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.