The Holiday Season is upon us! What we need now, apart from some tidings of comfort and joy, are recipes that are quick, simple and comforting. I know, I know, we always need those. But now more than ever. A special thanks to my friend Ceci (check out her Cuisine here) for introducing me to this recipe. I have fiddled with it slightly (do forgive me) and added some icing. My cup of good cheer nearly runneth over!
Now before I start, in Holland we have such a thing as 'speculaaskruiden'. It sounds quaint and deeply exotic, am I right? If you can get it, great, if not:
Combine 30 grams of cinnamon, 10 grams of nutmeg, 5 grams of aniseed, 10 grams of ground cloves, 5 grams of white pepper and 5 grams of ground coriander. There! You now have 'speculaaskruiden'. I may have just taken away some of the mystique, but it'll taste great just the same.
Cream 125 grams of soft butter with 125 grams of dark muscovado sugar and 10 grams of vanillasugar. Do use an electric mixer! You want to cream it for a good 5 minutes and it's no fun decorating a tree with carpal tunnel.
When light and airy, add an egg, mix until well incorporated and add another. When that's incorporated too, add 3 tablespoons of milk, 130 grams of self-raising flour and one generous tablespoon of 'speculaaskruiden'.
Combine well and bake in a preheated, 200C oven for about 15 minutes.
Leave to cool on a rack and proceed with the icing:
In a saucepan melt 40 grams of white chocolate (I know it's not chocolate! It annoys me too, but bear with!) with a tablespoon or so of water. Let it bubble away for a minute, take off the heat and add one teaspoon of vanilla extract and 115 grams of sifted icing sugar. Stir well over a low flame until smooth. Act quickly, this will start to set the second it's off the heat. Dollop a spoonful on each cupcake and decorate with whatever you like, as long as it's whimsical.
When you bite into these, you know the world is a better place.
Now let's deck those halls!
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