I have been wanting to bake for so so long! So while my brother was visiting we decided to make a night of it. Jack, my brother chose the music and it just went perfectly! Everything was perfect, what with the spices in the air, the warmth from the oven and the music, it all felt so cosy and autumnal! We listened to Matthew and the Atlas, 2 of their EP’s Kingdom of your own and To the North. I recommend a listen, especially if you want to feel the cosy autumn vibe!

We made spiced sweet potato cupcakes. I wanted to experiment with my cupcakes and the most autumnal vegetable I had in my kitchen was a sweet potato so we rolled with it! I added LOTs of spice because I was really craving a huge autumn hit and the spices made it happen! We also made a brown sugar butter icing for the topping!! 😀 

The Ingredients I used for the cupcakes were:

250g Gluten Free Flour mix (If you don’t need to eat GF just use plain flour)
1 tsp Xanthan Gum (If not making GF omit this, it just helps bind the GF flour and gives it a better texture)
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Cinnamon
3/4 tsp Groiund Cloves
3/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
3/4 tsp Ground Ginger
100g Butter (at room temp)
200g Soft Brown Sugar
2 eggs
100g Mashed Sweet Potato
2 tsp Vanilla extract 

Approximate quantities of ingredients used in the Icing:
100g Butter
150g Icing Sugar
50g Soft Brown Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla

 

To begin I made the sweet potato mash. Cook the Sweet Potatoes at 200 degrees C for about 30-40 mins or until soft.

While they were cooking I weighed out all my dry ingredients. Add the baking powder and xanthan gum straight into the flour.

Then add the spices!! 

I then whisked the butter and sugar together. You want to do this for about 5 mins. It needs to lighten in colour, the most whisking you do here the lighter your cupcakes will be! Now add the eggs one at a time to the butter and sugar mix. Again whisk as much as you can stand! 

At this time add the vanilla to the same egg, butter, sugar mix. I actually always double the amount of vanilla!! I just feel like it adds a more luxurious feel and I love vanilla!! Mmm!!

Now hopefully the sweet potato is soft enough to mash! Once mashed, add to the eggy, buttery, sugary mix.

Afterwards you want to add about half the flour mix to the wetter mix and whisk away! Then the rest of the flour. If it looks too dry you can always add a drop of milk.

Then put into cases and bake. I bake for 10 mins and then turn them in the oven because I’ve always baked with fan oven so it helps them to cook more evenly.

When the come out leave them to cool. I prepared the icing! I wanted something a little more interesting that plain butter cream but something that would compliment the big flavours in the cakes! so I settled for brown sugar buttercream! I think it was definitely the right choice!! 

I made a basic butter cream, with butter and icing sugar and plenty of vanilla again!! Mmm!! But I also added a few table spoons of the soft brown sugar as used in the cupcakes. I also always use salted butter! I just really like the incredibly subtle salt and sugar combo! I think it completely enhances all the flavours! But it is just me!

And then we iced! We had some super pretty little gold toppers which I felt matched the autumn theme! 😀

TC

xoxo