These little cupcakes may be small, but they deliver the most luxurious burst of flavour. Baked in delicate truffle cases, they’re irresistibly light with a whisper of cocoa and a bright, unexpected lift from sumac. You can, of course, make them in standard cupcake moulds—just keep an eye on the baking time—yet there’s something undeniably charming about serving them as tiny, jewel-like treats. Finished with a silky pomegranate cream cheese icing, they’re as beautiful to look at as they are delicious to eat, perfect for celebrations, gifting, or simply delighting the people you love.
Ingredients
- 235g self-raising flour
- 250g caster sugar
- 15g cocoa powder
- 275g soft butter
- 4 large eggs
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tsp sumac
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp cider vinegar
For the pomegranate icing
- 150g soft unsalted butter
- 200g full fat cream cheese
- 750g icing sugar
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- Red gel food colouring
Method
Preheat the oven to 170 0C.
Mix and sieve all the dry ingredients apart from the bicarbonate of soda into the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the soft butter and whisk for 30 seconds at a medium to high speed. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla extract when using and whisk again for a couple of minutes. Finally, mix the bicarbonate of soda in the cider vinegar in a small glass and add that too.
For the pomegranate icing, beat the butter for a couple of minutes till pale and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and beat for 1 more minute and then the sugar in two stages beating for 1 minute each time. Finally add the pomegranate molasses and the food colouring a tiny dollop at a time so as to control the depth of colour.
Bake the cupcakes for 20-23 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the cupcake comes out clean.
When the cupcakes are cool, put the icing into icing bags to decorate. Leave the cupcakes for a couple of hours and then lay prettily on a tray to make your wreath. Finish with pretty sprinkles and a festive bow.