Unless the liquorice is too hard, I love to eat it plain but your comment that it had a molassey taste got me thinking that maybe it would be interesting in a cupcake - had never even thought you could melt it so was quite fascinated with these cakes
OMG! I just sent this to my mom. She loves loves black liquorice candy! Ha, she is going to get a kick when she sees this. I know by tomorrow afternoon she'll be on the hunt for the liquorice so she can make these.
This is so interesting! Wouldn't these be fun to make for the boys birthday party! Are you using real liquorice, as in the stuff we Dutch (and scandinavians) love? I think the sweet version not the salty ones?
What an interesting concept...its got me thinking...when you said it was a molassey taste...I thought of doing a flapjack with liquorice mixed in with the golden syrup!
24 May 2008 at 20:27
Anonymous said...
Very unique recipe! It's great that you were so determined to make these; I'm glad you did, they sound delicious. We would love to feature your recipe on our blog and possibly our digital recipe reader. Please email me at sophiekiblogger@gmail.com if you're interested. Have a great day :).
30 September 2008 at 16:19
[Image]I like the flavour of liquorice but I find I have to be in the right mood for it. I had some liquorice Pontefract cakes sitting in my kitchen that I had bought when I fancied some but had never finished them all. It got me wondering if there was anything I could bake with them and my mind immediately turned to cupcakes. After a hunt through some cookery books and a browse on the internet I was amazed to find no reference to a cupcake containing liquorice anywhere, although plenty suggest it as decoration. By this point I had become determined to make cupcakes containing liquorice and so decided to see what I could create myself.
I decided to melt the liquorice in order to add it into the cake mix and as it’s quite a thick and sticky substance by nature, I melted it slowly in a pan with some butter. This worked, although the liquorice refused to dissolve into a smooth consistency, but it did turn extremely soft and mushy which meant it still distributed evenly when beaten into the rest of the cake batter. [Image] I was expecting the colour to be an inky black, but it actually turned more of a milk chocolate colour. The batter was also quite….elastic, is the best word for it, and I was worried that it would bake flat and hard but it actually baked up wonderfully tall and light.
The flavour of the cupcakes is quite subtle at first bite, but it builds up a treacley/molasses flavour with a slight tongue tingling sensation I always get when eating liquorice. I wanted the flavour of the liquorice to be the most prominent and so simply drizzled them with a little plain icing to add a touch of sweetness. I was really pleased how the cupcakes turned out and would love to try baking it into a layer cake, maybe paired with raspberry or lemon buttercream for an interesting twist. These are a must try for any liquorice fan.
Method Preheat the oven to 170C and line a muffin tin with paper cases. Chop the liquorice into small pieces and place in a small pan along with the butter. Melt slowly, allowing the butter to completely melt and the liquorice to go very soft. It will not dissolve completely, but this is ok. Beat the eggs and sugar together until doubled in volume and pale in colour. Add the liquorice mixture and beat well until well incorporated. Sift over the flour and baking powder and beat again. Add the milk to thin down the mix and spoon into the muffin cases, filling three-quarters full. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes until risen and springy to the touch. Allow to cool before drizzling with a little icing made by dissolving icing sugar in a little water. Makes 10
"Liquorice Cupcakes"
10 Comments -
Unless the liquorice is too hard, I love to eat it plain but your comment that it had a molassey taste got me thinking that maybe it would be interesting in a cupcake - had never even thought you could melt it so was quite fascinated with these cakes
19 May 2008 at 03:51
OMG! I just sent this to my mom. She loves loves black liquorice candy! Ha, she is going to get a kick when she sees this. I know by tomorrow afternoon she'll be on the hunt for the liquorice so she can make these.
19 May 2008 at 06:08
This is so interesting! Wouldn't these be fun to make for the boys birthday party!
Are you using real liquorice, as in the stuff we Dutch (and scandinavians) love? I think the sweet version not the salty ones?
20 May 2008 at 07:28
This is great. I would never have thought of it. I love liquorice, so I think I would love these.
20 May 2008 at 10:32
Hi Baking Soda,
Yes you are right the liquorice si the sweet kind, not salty.
Johanna, it didn't melt smooth, but did turn to mush and this was fine to beat into the cake batter.
20 May 2008 at 13:36
Too cool! Jeff's mom loves black liquorice!
20 May 2008 at 20:39
So interesting. My hubby loves licorace.
22 May 2008 at 04:23
My Dad loves liquorice - think I'll make a batch for fathers day!
22 May 2008 at 20:28
What an interesting concept...its got me thinking...when you said it was a molassey taste...I thought of doing a flapjack with liquorice mixed in with the golden syrup!
24 May 2008 at 20:27
Very unique recipe! It's great that you were so determined to make these; I'm glad you did, they sound delicious. We would love to feature your recipe on our blog and possibly our digital recipe reader. Please email me at sophiekiblogger@gmail.com if you're interested. Have a great day :).
30 September 2008 at 16:19