a m y m c c r a c k e n

For the last few years at work we’ve supported the RSPCA cupcake day. Last year I jumped on board the baking team but I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to make until I came across these awesome pirate cupcake cups with pirate flags at cake deco (www.cakedeco.com.au – their website’s pretty average but their store just off Flinders Street is amazing… I can spend a whole arvo in there!).

I thought the perfect thing to go in these was my mum’s golden pumpkin muffins (cos we all know pirates love gold!). These muffins also remind me of home and my mum who is the most amazing cook that not only taught me everything she knows but she also gave me the passion for baking (thanks mum xx). Not only do they taste super yum but they make the whole house smell so homely.

Ingredients

• 2 C self-raising flour, sifted
• 1 ½ C brown sugar
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp grated nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 100g butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 C cooked, mashed pumpkins

Method

1. 1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 12 x 1/3-cup capacity muffin pan. Alternatively, line holes with paper cases.
2. Combine the first 7 dry ingredients into a large bowl. Toss with a fork to combine thoroughly. Make a well in the centre.
3. In another bowl, warm the butter until melted, add the eggs and beat well. Stir in the mashed pumpkin. Add to the dry mixture and fold together without overmixing.
4. Put about ¼ cup of the mixture into each muffin cup
5. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown and they spring back when pressed in the centre. Stand in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Tip – sprinkle some brown sugar on top of each muffin before baking for a delicious crunchy top

Usually you can just serve these with butter but to make these piratey to go with the cups and flags, I mixed some cinnamon into butter then piped it onto the muffin in a cross – to mark the treasure, arrrgh!