Reindeer Cupcakes

Rest assured that no Reindeer's were harmed in the baking of the cupcakes.  They are instead made from chestnut puree, which was my first experience with chestnuts ... except for the roasted ones Mr JS and I ate as we wondered around the Edinburgh German Christmas Market one year.   These little guys are a bit of a mixture of several recipes and decorating ideas but they have all come together in one sweet package which I have just entered into the Tesco Cupcake Decorating Competition ... eek!

Chestnut Cupcakes

435g can chestnut puree

6 eggs

175g golden caster sugar
200g ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder

Line one and a half muffin trays with 18 muffin cases.  Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C.  Tip the chestnut puree into a large bowl and mash with a fork.  Whisk the eggs and sugar with an electric hand whisk until pale and fluffy.

Fold half the egg mixture into the chestnut mixture to lighten it, then fold in the almonds and baking powder.  Gently fold in the rest of the egg, then drop the batter into the muffin cases.  Bake for 25-30 mins until firm.  Cool.  You can freeze the cupcakes for up to 6 weeks.

Makes 18 cupcakes
Good Food, Dec 10

Now is where the fun begins!  I stole followed Cake Boys tip for topping cupcakes with ganache before decorating ... with a massive bowl of Rich Chocolate Ganache still kicking about I decided to use that.  Then I used dark chocolate modelling paste to cover the ganache (next time I'll use a larger cookie cutter to hide all the edges!) and then some white chocolate modelling paste to make the muzzles and eyes.  Milk chocolate modelling paste completed the eyes.  Rudolf and all the other Reindeer have smartie noses and the antlers are made from pretzels.  Cutting the pretzels was the most vexing part of this project ... just when I thought I had sussed out where to cut them to stop them splintering into a thousand pieces ... well they would splinter into a thousand pieces!!!  Good thing I bought a big bag ;0)