Christmas Mulled Wine Cupcakes with Fondant Baubles

It bemuses me how Christmas is the only time where the thought of warmed up wine with cloves and cinnamon sounds vaguely appealing, so here is a festive recipe of spiced cupcakes with a mulled wine syrup, buttercream and pretty fondant baubles. So if you have a few moments in between the racing around the supermarket, elbowing children out the way to get that perfect Christmas pudding or frantically wrapping last minute presents where the ribbon never seems to curl properly... 6 INCH RIBBON CURLS, then take a sip of wine put on some Michael Bublé and get started on baking probably the most festive cupcakes ever. 

On to the recipe:

Cupcakes -
225g butter or margarine
225g light brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tbsp (or glugs;)) of red wine
1/2 tbsp nutmeg
1tbsp cinnamon
1tbsp mixed spice
240g self raising flour
!! Pre heat oven to GM 4/175°C and Line cupcake tins with cases!!
1. Cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is soft, smooth and lump free
2. Gradually add the 4 eggs, one at a time until they are all combined
3. Add the red wine and stir to combine
4. Sieve in self raising flour a little at a time and fold in carefully not to knock any air out
5. Add the spices and combine
6. Place into cupcake cases until around 3/4 full
7. Put into oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown and springs back when touched

Mulled Wine Syrup
30ml orange juice
30ml red wine
60g caster sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cloves
1 star anise
1/2 tsp nutmeg

1. Place all ingredients into a small pan and bring to the boil
2. Turn the heat down until the liquid is just simmering
3. Allow the mix to continue to simmer for around 10 minutes stiring occasionally until you have a medium - thick syrup.
4. Take off the heat, sieve and allow to cool

Buttercream icing
300g icing sugar
150g butter
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine icing sugar and butter until smooth and pale (this could use a lot of work but it's a great work out to burn off those extra christmas calories)
2. Add the vanilla extract and transfer into a piping bag with a star nozzle.

Fondant Baubles
Colour some white fondant with pink food colouring preferably gel and liquid colouring will alter the consistency.Roll into varying sized balls and leave to dry and set until hard. Shape the white fondant into little cones to act as the top bit of the bauble and loops to be stuck as the string. One all componants are dry stick together and place on top of the cupcake

Assembling
Pour mulled wine syrup over the spiced cupcake, pipe some of the buttercream over the top and finish with the baubles and maybe a sprinkle of glitter... or more than a sprinkle.

There you have it, mulled wine spiced cupcakes with fondant baubles that will make any scrooge feel festive. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, Enjoy Xx