On the whole miniature versions of things don’t do it for me. Half pints. Funsize chocolate. Express massages. Minibreaks. Happy Meals. However, when it comes to cupcake versions of large cakes I make an exception. They tickle me.
It’s your choice whether to adorn with marzipan balls, tiny chocolate eggs or both if you can’t decide. Makes 12.
For the cake:
– 20mls ginger wine
– 25g Natural Selection crimson raisins
– 20g Natural Selection crystallised ginger, finely chopped
– 25g Natural Selection dates, cut into quarters
– 25g Natural Selection apricots
– 100g self-raising flour
– 60g ground almonds
– 100g caster sugar
– 50g dark muscavado sugar
– 150g soft butter/margarine
– 3 large eggs at room temperature
– ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground mixed spice
– 2 tbsp whole/semi skimmed milk
To decorate:
– 150g marzipan
– 3 tbsp apricot jam, sieved
– Either an extra 150g marzipan/a packet of tiny chocolate eggs
– A little icing sugar for rolling/shaping marzipan
Preheat the oven to Gas 5/190C. Place 12 cupcake cases into a tray. Heat the ginger wine in a small pan together with all the dried fruit until the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Place the remaining cake ingredients into a bowl and mix together with an electric handheld mixer until smooth and creamy. Stir in the soaked fruit and then divide between the cupcake cases. Level with your fingers and bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 20 minutes until slightly brown, well risen and a toothpick comes out of the centre of the middle cupcakes with clean. Cool out of the tin, on a wire rack.
Once cool, brush a little jam onto each cake and then roll and cut out circles of marzipan (using icing sugar to aid rolling and a round cutter) to place on top. Then either add 11 small balls of marzipan to the top of each cake or 11 tiny chocolate eggs. Fix in place with a dab of jam.
If you fancied watching me chatterbox away about these cupcakes then there’s a little film below to watch. It’s 6 minutes long though. Gosh, I can talk. And no, it’s not my kitchen.
Get the monthly newsletter...
and subscribe to get all recipes straight to your inbox!
Holly Bell 
These are delicious. I did make some during Easter and just made another batch which are getting eaten as I speak and I haven’t done with marzipan messing about bit yet. I have still to use all the authentic ingredients so they can only get better. Didn’t have enough ground almonds for example and I don’t think wholemeal flour is the ideal substitute but couldn’t think of anything else!
I think that’s a fine substitution! Most recipes I make start out life as something else and then end up changed by my store cupboard being depleted. Pleased you like them. x
Holly, Iam absoloutly baffled and puzzled on how to shape the picnic loaf on GBBO as what you done on tv vas diferent from what the book told you. Please Help ME ASAP!! Also when is your ebook coming out as i cant wait to buy it!
Made these! Except I did FIFTEEN with the marzipan…. Needed a cup of tea and a lie down afterwards but the result was so beautiful, thanks for the recipe!! Also think I’ve found a new obsession with crystallized ginger…
C Ginger is so so good isn’t it? Love it. xx
I’m rather fond of miniature versions of full cakes, I think they appeal to the child in me! These look really very cute.
Dear Hollie … quick question .. I have no kitchen scales at the moment and have to convert all the ingredients into cups .. do you know of a good website that i can use ?? PS. love your recipes .. Sallyx
Really sorry but I have never done this. Sorry not to be of any help. x
That’s ok .. shall work it out some how and make the simnel cupcakes .. many thanks and Happy Easter x
Hi Sally. I have been using the All recipes con converter for a couple of years and find it works really well – google it.
Dear Holly, please can I ask you, where do you get your lovely cupcake liners from? Thank you, and thank you for sharing your recipe and video :) xx
Do you mean the ones in the film or the stills shot? Film ones from cake boxes direct and don’t know on others as shot by a food stylist. Xx Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange
Thank you very much Holly. I am very grateful that you shared this information with me. And thank you again for the recipe. I have not made a simnel cake or cupcakes before but I hope to give these a go soon. Thank you. And Happy Early Easter xx
Happy early Easter to you too! xx
Ready chopped dried apricots? Brilliant. My kind of fast food. I chop them every morning for porridge and it’s really dull. Love the film and the cakes look great too!
Bloody fantastic. Dates chopped too. Easy peasy kid snacks too. X
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange
Dead cute, I love miniature versions of big cakes too! Probably I’d stud mine with mini eggs, the prospect of rolling 11 x 24 pea sized balls of marzipan has me running for the hills!!
I made very few with the marzipan. I started to feel a bit crazy. Love the film of you btw. X Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange
Thankyou for this recipe, I’d seen the mini mini eggs last week at a farm shop and wanted to do something different (than cornflake nest cakes) with them.
Nests are fab too though aren’t they? Xx
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange
Lovely Video Holly! Very sophisticated :) make sure you do more of these in the future, they’re great and very helpful! Have a nice Easter xxx
One more coming for a scone loaf! X
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange
Great video Holly, the cakes look divine X
Thanks my lovely. I am having major issues commenting on your blog at the moment by the way. Gmail being difficult signing me in. Grrr. X Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange