Don’t have time to make proper hot cross buns? These hot cross bun cupcakes are easy to make and are a great spin on classic hot cross buns which are often eaten and shared around Easter time. With a soft, fruit packed cake sponge and a sweet marzipan cross to finish the look, these hot cross bun cupcakes take all the flavour elements of the Easter treat and transfer them to a cupcake. If you don’t have apricot jam you could always use marmalade instead. Other dried fruits such as apricots and cranberries work well in this recipe too so experiment to your taste.
Ingredients
- For this Easter recipe
- you will need:
- 150g self-raising flour
- 150g softened butter
- 150g golden caster sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 1½tsps mixed spice
- 1tbsp milk, room temperature
- 100g currants
- 25g mixed peel (optional)
- 100g white marzipan
- You will also need:
- Apricot jam
- Deep muffin pan with 14 cupcake cases
Method
To make this cupcake recipe, preheat the oven 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3 and line your baking tray with the cupcake cases.
Add all the ingredients (except the currants and peel) into a large bowl and beat until smooth, don’t overbeat or the cakes will be greasy. Add 1tsp of flour to the fruit to make sure they are all covered, this helps them not to sink in the cakes. Gently fold the fruit into the cake mix.
Fill the cases with even amounts of batter and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with apricot jam, to give them a shine, and then cool in the tins for 10 mins before moving to a wire rack.
Once cold, roll out the marzipan to 1/8 of an inch thick and cut into thin strips. Place them in crosses over the cakes. The jam with help them stick to the cakes but you may need a brush of water in the centre of the cross when sticking the second strip over it.
Top tip for making Hot cross bun cupcakes
You could replace the currants with chocolate chips for a chocolate hot cross bun cupcakes instead - the kids will love them!
