Chocolate and pear cupcakes with caramel buttercream icing

Cooking Instructions

1. 1. Place pears in a saucepan and cover with water. Stir in 25g of the caster sugar, bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 6 minutes or until pears are tender. Drain well and set aside.
2. 2. Cream butter, remaining 100g caster sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Add the egg and beat until combined. Mix flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa separately in a small bowl, and mix the milk and vanilla together in a small jug. Add the wet and dry ingredients alternately to the butter mixture, beating between additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
3. 3. Chop the cooked pears into cubes, place about two-thirds of the cubes in a food processor with the cinnamon and process until smooth (should have about ½ cup puree). Stir through the batter.
4. 4. Line a 12 cup muffin tray with paper cases, fill each about halfway with the cupcake mixture, then divide the remaining pear pieces amongst the cupcakes. Top up with remaining mixture, then bake at 180 degrees C for about 25 minutes, until cakes spring back when touched gently. Cool slightly in pan before removing to a wire rack to cool.
5. 5. To make the caramel for the icing. Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil. Boil, without stirring, until the caramel turns amber in colour (this will take about 8 minutes of boiling, watch it carefully). Quickly remove from heat and gradually add the cream, while stirring. Stir in 20g of butter and set the caramel aside to cool.
6. 6. Cream remaining 180g of butter for about 5 minutes, until very light and fluffy. Gradually add sifted icing sugar, beating well between additions. Add caramel and beat well. Spread or pipe over cooled cupcakes, decorate with grated chocolate and enjoy!

Ingredients

• Cakes:
• 3 pears, peeled and quartered, cores removed
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 85g Lurpak unsalted butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 100g brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 160g (1 cup) plain flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 35g cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Buttercream icing:
• 90g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
• 4 tbsp water
• 1/3 cup cream
• 200g Lurpak unsalted butter
• 300g icing sugar
• Grated chocolate, to decorate