Gingerbread and Coconut Cupcakes for Cupcake Week 2011 (Egg Free Recipe)

Ginger and coconut may be more widely regarded as West Indian flavours but they are just as prominent in India proper, especially in the South of the country where coconuts grow in abundance and are used in almost every local dish with ginger playing a strong complimentary flavour. Tea brewed from coconut water and whole ginger is one of the most invigorating, refreshing drinks one can have and is a specialty in South Indian states like Kerala, which is coincidentally on India's West coast!

Today in the Devnaa kitchen we thought we'd try and pair these two great flavours together in a cupcake for everybody to enjoy during cupcake week. The light, ginger sponge is delicately spiced and the addition of yoghurt means that this recipe requires no eggs, perfect for any vegetarians out there! The coconut icing is creamy and lightly flavoured - in fact although it tastes great on it's own, paired with the ginger sponge you do lose the coconut a bit so feel free to add a little more if you wish or do as we've done and add some coconut to decorate.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Icing
(makes 12 small cupcakes, for big ones just double the recipe)

Ingredients for the sponge:
55g Butter
100g Golden Syrup
130ml Plain Yoghurt
200g Plain Flour
1/4 tsp (heaped) Bicarbonate of Soda
1 tsp Ground Ginger
3/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
A pinch of Ground Cloves
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tblsp Finely Chopped Stem Ginger (from syrup)

Method:

• Pre heat oven to gas mark 4/180C/350F and line a cupcake tin with cases
• Place the butter and golden syrup together in a saucepan over a medium heat
• Stir constantly until it comes to the boil and then transfer the mixture straight to a mixing bowl and leave aside to cool for 5 minutes
• In the meantime, sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt into a separate bowl and mix together to combine
• Stir the yoghurt into the butter mixture
• Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until you have a smooth batter
• Fold in the stem ginger
• Divide the batter equally between the 12 cupcake cases and bake in the centre of your oven for 15 - 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean (leave for 25 - 30 minutes if making double quantity)
• Cool on a wire rack before icing.

Ingredients for icing:
60g Butter
115g Cream Cheese
130g Icing Sugar
4 tblsp Powdered Coconut

Method:

• Beat the butter until creamy
• Add the cream cheese and beat well until combined and smooth
• Sift together the icing sugar and coconut powder and gradually beat into the butter mixture until all of the ingredients have combined and you have a smooth, creamy, coconutty icing
• Swirl or spoon atop your cupcakes.

You can then decorate your cupcakes with more coconut - fresh or dried if desired, here we've used dried coconut and some heart shaped gingerbread cookies. Enjoy! :)