Name: Arizona cupcakes
Prep time: 1 h 14 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 49 min
Yield: 25 cupcakes
Ingredients: ½ cup butter; 2 tablespoons caster sugar; 1 tablespoon Vanilla sugar; 2&frasl;3 cup flour; 2 eggs; 1 pinch salt; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ½ cup Marzipan (almond paste); 1 tablespoon icing sugar; 2&frasl;3 cup fondant icing

Step by step recipe:

3 min.
Cut ½ cup butter into small pieces and tip into the bowl of the mixer, along with 2 tablespoons caster sugar and 1 tablespoon Vanilla sugar.
5 min.
Knead for a few minutes on slow speed until thoroughly mixed.
3 min.
Then add ²⁄₃ cup flour, 2 eggs, 1 pinch salt and 1 teaspoon baking powder.
5 min.
Knead again on medium speed just until evenly mixed.

Preheat oven to 180°C (360°F).
10 min.
Divide the mixture between small moulds, preferably in paper cake cases. Do not over fill as the cakes will expand during cooking.

You can divide out the mixture with a spoon, but it's much quicker and easier to use a forcing bag.
35 min.
Put in the oven and bake for around 35 minutes (watch for colouring).

Leave to cool on a wire rack.
15 min.
Meanwhile, make the cacti using green marzipan.
10 min.
Melt ²⁄₃ cup fondant icing in a bain-marie.

Note: if you don't have fondant icing, make up a quick glacé icing using 100g icing sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon water, or just a little more.
2 min.
Spread icing over the cupcakes...
1 min.
... and place a cactus on top immediately.
20 min.
Decorate all the cupcakes like this.

Remarks:

You can start with the basic cupcake mix and let your imagination run wild!

A quick variation: replace the marzipan decorations with pistachio paste, which gives a more realistic saguaro cactus colour.

For that real Arizona touch, the sun should make an appearance on the cupcakes, maybe as a small circle of yellow marzipan at the top to left or right of the cactus? Oh, well - for next time.

Source:

Home-made, but warmly dedicated to Krissy, Kelley and Heather, three charming friends from Phoenix, of whom I cherish fond memories.

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