01 Sep Flower Pot Cupcakes

Today is the 1st of September, officially Spring Day! It’s an absolutely gorgeous day in Cape Town. I can smell jasmine in the air and see green shoots on the trees.
To celebrate the changing of the seasons I decided to have a little fun in the kitchen.

Truth be told, these pretty flower pots are just chocolate cupcakes. But when you bake them in terracotta pots and decorate them with flowers, they transform into a magical spring garden.
Once you’ve made them, you will feel a great need to share them as they are simply too pretty to eat alone!

*If the thought of sugarcraft puts you off, you can just as easily use a real edible flower or a sprig of mint in place of the fondant flowers.

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:
80g butter, softened (6 tbsp)
150g sugar (¾cup)
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract (10ml)
125g flour (70ml)
30g cocoa (¼cup)
6,25 ml baking powder (1¼ tsp)
pinch of salt
150ml milk

For the icing:
85g butter, softened
150g icing sugar, sifted (1¼ cups)
1 tbsp milk
25g cocoa, sifted (50ml)

To decorate:
9 x mini terracotta pots (7.5cm top diameter x 6.5cm tall)
6 chocolate biscuits eg Romany Creams
green fondant
sugar flower decorations
raw spaghetti (optional)

Directions:

• Wash the terracotta pots in hot soapy water or in the dishwasher. Allow to dry completely overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Spray the terracotta pots with cooking spray and place the pots into a cupcake tin. If the pots have a hole at the bottom, line each one with a cupcake wrapper.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and egg, and beat for 3 minutes.
• Add the dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk together. Add a third to the creamed mixture, then add a third of the milk. Repeat this, alternating adding the dry ingredients and the milk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix well in-between each addition.
• Divide the mixture between the 9 terracotta pots. Use a teaspoon to even out the top of the mixture.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove the pots from the cupcake tray and leave to cool.
• To make the icing, beat all ingredients together until smooth.
• Next make the chocolate soil. Crush the chocolate biscuits into fine crumbs using a food processor, or place in a ziplock bag and beat with a rolling pin.
• Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe or spread the chocolate icing into the pots so that they are filled to the top. Use a knife to spread the icing flat. Dip each one into the chocolate “soil”.
• To make the flowers, break the spaghetti into approximately 10cm pieces. Wrap the green fondant around it to make a stem, leaving a small cup at the top of each stem to hold the flower. Roll small pieces of fondant into balls and flatten to make leaf shapes. Attach to the stems and leave to dry for an hour. (It is possible to make the stems without the spaghetti, but they won’t be quite as stable).
• To assemble, use a little icing to stick the stem into the centre of each pot. Put a little icing onto the back of each flower and “glue” to the cup at the top of each stem.
• Step back and admire your beautiful spring garden of cupcakes!