Lebkuchen Cupcakes with Salted Whipped Chocolate Ganache
Mr Daffodil absolutely adores Lebkuchen – those delicious spicy German cookies with apricot jam in the centre, often heart shaped and covered in chocolate. I think it goes back to the very early 90s when I lived in Austria and Andrew used to come and visit. He has passed his love for these cookies to our daughter Charlotte and I created these cupcakes for them. To say they are obsessed with them, is an understatement!
These light and fluffy cupcakes, with all the incredible spices used in Lebkuchen, are topped with a salted chocolate ganache, a Lebkuchen cookie (of course!) and drizzled with white chocolate. Evocative of crisp, cold and snowy weather, I feel like I am stepping into the wonderland that is an Austrian Christmas market with all the festive aromas, joyful music, seasonal joy and a mug of gluhwein. Whilst, I would absolutely love to go back to Austria this year, I am pleased to say you can get these cookies in most supermarkets in the UK these days! Not quite the same atmosphere, but the closest I’m going to get to Graz or Vienna this Christmas!
How to make Lebkuchen Cupcakes with Salted Whipped Chocolate Ganache
Collect all your ingredients for the cupcakes together:
- unsalted butter, cubed
- plain/all-purpose flour
- cornflour
- lebkuchen spice
- fine salt
- baking powder
- bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
- light brown sugar
- vegetable oil
- large egg
- vanilla extract (optional)
- milk
- natural yoghurt
How to make the cupcakes:
- Using a microwave safe mixing bowl, melt the butter in a microwave. Leave to cool a little whilst you collect all the remaining ingredients together. Add the dry ingredients: flour, cornflour, sugar, spices and salt to the butter. Then add the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda directly on top of the flour. Add the remaining ingredients: oil, eggs, vanilla extract, milk and yoghurt.
- Beat with a balloon or electric whisk until incorporated – be careful not to over-mix. It should take 30 seconds to a minute and you may need to stop half way to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- The batter is quite liquidy. The easiest way to transfer the cake batter to the cake cases is by pouring it. I use a mixing bowl with a spout or you could transfer to a jug. Pour into 10 muffin cake liners – they should be just over half full.
- Cook in a preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until cooked.
- Leave in the tin for 5 minutes and then transfer the cakes/cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Core ingredients 
Specific ingredients 
1 Melt butter and add remaining ingredients. 
2 Beat until thoroughly mixed. 
3 Pour into 10 muffin liners 
4 Cook
How to make the toppings:
- Use an apple corer or a spoon to remove a small cylinder of sponge from each cupcake. Put on one side.
- Fill the holes in the sponge with apricot jam.
- Replace the sponge you removed earlier.
- Heat the chocolate and cream in the microwave until the chocolate has melted.
- Stir until thoroughly mixed.
- Beat with an electric whisk until thickened. Add salt to taste.
- Spread over the top of the cupcakes.
- Top each cupcake with a lebkuchen.
- Melt the white chocolate in a microwave, 15 seconds at a time, stirring in between each blitz. Spoon the melted chocolate into a piping bag.
- Cut the end off the bag and drizzle the white chocolate over the cakes.
- Leave the white chocolate to set.
Topping ingredients 
1 Remove small cylinder of sponge 
2 Fill the holes with apricot jam. 
3 Replace the sponge 
4 Heat the chocolate and cream until melted. 
5 Stir well. 
6 Beat until thickened. Add salt to taste. 
7 Spread over the top of the cupcakes. 
8 Top each cupcake with a lebkuchen. 
9 Melt the white chocolate 
10 Drizzle the white chocolate over the cakes. 
11 Leave to set 
Made this recipe?
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Lebkuchen Cupcakes with Salted Whipped Chocolate Ganache
These light and fluffy cupcakes, with all the incredible spices used in Lebkuchen, are topped with a salted chocolate ganache, a Lebkuchen cookie (of course!) and drizzled with white chocolate. (Makes 10)
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 35g unsalted butter, roughly chopped into cubes
- 95g with plain/all-purpose flour
- 15g cornflour
- 3 teaspoons lebkuchen spice powder (See Recipe Notes)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
- 85g light brown sugar
- 50g vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 50g/50ml milk
- 50g natural yoghurt
For the toppings:
- 10 teaspoons apricot jam
- 125g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
- 125g double/heavy cream
- up to ⅛ teaspoon fine salt (to taste)
- 10 lebkuchen cookies
- 50g white chocolate – for the drizzle
Instructions
-
Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
-
Preheat oven to Fan Oven 160°C /180°C/350°F/Gas 4
For the cupcakes:
-
Using a microwave safe mixing bowl, melt the butter in a microwave. Leave to cool a little whilst you collect all the remaining ingredients together.
-
Add the dry ingredients: flour, cornflour, sugar, spices and salt to the butter. Then add the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda directly on top of the flour.
-
Add the remaining ingredients: oil, eggs, vanilla extract, milk and yoghurt.
-
Beat with a balloon or electric whisk until incorporated – be careful not to over-mix. It should take 30 seconds to a minute and you may need to stop half way to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
-
The batter is quite liquidy. The easiest way to transfer the cake batter to the cake cases is by pouring it. I use a mixing bowl with a spout or you could transfer to a jug. Pour into 10 muffin cake liners – they should be just over half full.
-
Cook in a preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until cooked.
-
Leave in the tin for 5 minutes and then transfer the cakes/cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
For the toppings:
-
Use an apple corer or a spoon to remove a small cylinder of sponge from each cupcake. Put on one side.
-
Fill the holes in the sponge with apricot jam.
-
Replace the sponge you removed earlier.
-
Heat the chocolate and cream in the microwave until the chocolate has melted. (See Recipe Notes)
-
Stir until thoroughly mixed.
-
Beat with an electric whisk until thickened. Add salt to taste.
-
Spread over the top of the cupcakes.
-
Top each cupcake with a lebkuchen.
-
Melt the white chocolate in a microwave, 15 seconds at a time, stirring in between each blitz. Spoon the melted chocolate into a piping bag.
-
Cut the end off the bag and drizzle the white chocolate over the cakes.
-
Leave the white chocolate to set.
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
- kitchen scales and measuring spoons
- microwave safe mixing bowl
- jug
- electric or balloon whisk
- muffin tin with 10 paper cases
- microwave safe bowl x 2
- piping bag
Lebkuchen Spice:
3 teaspoons lebkuchen spice
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground mace
- ⅛ teaspoon cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon ginger
- 1/16 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/16 teaspoon allspice
Be very careful melting the chocolate.
Chocolate can be very difficult to work with. You can overheat it very easily and the mixture will go grainy. When this happens, there is no way to resolve it I’m afraid!
Microwave: I give the chocolate and cream 30 seconds in the microwave, take it out and stir it well, give it another 30 seconds, stir again and then let it sit for a few minutes to see if it continues melting sufficiently to melt all the chocolate. If not, I then continue with the microwave but in 10 – 15 second bursts.
Bain Marie: if you do not have a microwave, put the chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Do not let the base of the bowl touch the water. Heat until the chocolate and cream are very nearly melted then take it off the heat and take the bowl off the saucepan. Be very careful not to burn yourself as the bowl will be hot and steam will escape from the saucepan. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes for the residual heat to melt the remainder of the mixture. Again, be careful not to over-heat.
Food processor – this cake can also be made in a food processor. Simply place all the ingredients in the processor bowl and blitz until thoroughly mixed.
