Gingerbread Cupcakes With Lemon Icing - cooking recipe

Ingredients

140 g unsalted butter (40g softened)
100 g molasses sugar
125 g golden syrup
125 ml whole milk
190 g self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
60 g gingerroot, drained and chopped (stem ginger)
1 egg, beaten
200 g icing sugar (golden)
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
12 pieces crystallized ginger

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 189C/gas 4 Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases, or grease it. Put 100g butter, the molasses, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan, heat gently, stiring until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk, set aside to cool.
Sieve together the flour, spices and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl Stir in the stem ginger.
Once the molasses mixture is cool, beat in the egg, then pour onto the dry ingredients. Fold in and stir with a spatula until smooth. Spoon into the cases so they are half full. Bake for about 15 minutes. Cool on a rack.
To make the icing, beat the remaining 40 g butter in a large bowl or mixer, until light. Sieve in the icing sugar and beat to incorporate (it will not become smooth at this stage, but don't worry) Add the lemon juice gradually, beating in just enough to bring the mixture together smoothly. It should still be firm enough to hold its shape., Tansfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a star-shaped nozzle and pipe swirls on top. Cut the crystallised ginger pieces into smaller bits and top the cakes with them.