Given the cook-at-home nature of Spinneys and natural variations in ingredients, nutritional information is approximated."

'Sweet but twisted' candy cane cupcakes

American 20 Mins Prep · 30 Mins Cook

Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Line 2 x 12-hole muffin tins with cupcake wrappers.
Cream the butter, sugar and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract together until light and fluffy – approx. 8-10 minutes. Gradually add 4 eggs one at a time and beat well in between each addition. Sift over the flour and add the milk gradually and beat again.
Pour half the batter into a second bowl and beat in the cocoa powder, chilli powder and enough food colouring to achieve the shade of red you want.
Fill the cupcake wrappers two-thirds full, alternating between 1 tablespoon of white batter and 1 tablespoon of red batter.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Allow them to cool completely.
To make the icing, combine the sugar, water and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and bring to a boil over a high heat. Cook the syrup until it reaches 116°C or the soft-ball stage.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, separate the whites from the yolks of 4 eggs and beat the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form. When the sugar mixture has reached 116°C, pour it down the side of the bowl into the egg whites while beating constantly at high speed, until the mixture is cool and thick, approx. 7 minutes.
Prepare a piping bag with a plain nozzle. Using a clean paint brush or skewer, paint four strips of red gel food colouring on the inside of the piping bag. Fill with the icing and pipe swirls onto the cupcakes.