Macaron Topped Cupcakes

I have a naughty naughty secret about these cupcakes. I cheated and used a packet mix for the cake. Oh and it gets worse, for vanilla cupcakes I enjoy, maybe even prefer a cake mix. There I said it.

I don't know if I was being punished for using a cake mix or if it was because of the time i tried to beat rock hard butter, but halfway through making these cupcakes my electric beater decided to call it quits. It made a horrible clunking noise and that was the end.

Oh well i figure I'm now one step closer to a KitchenAid mixer and with a borrowed beater i finished off the cupcakes.

Aside from that one little mishap everything else worked out super well, the macarons were my best yet and looked very pretty with the matching swirl icing.

For the Vanilla Macarons follow the recipe in my previous post.

For the Whipped White Chocolate Ganache (cupcake and macaron filling)

180 grams white chocolate (finely chopped)
180 mls thickened cream

To make the ganache- Place chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl.
In a small saucepan bring the cream to the boil.
Pour boiling cream over chocolate.
Gently whisk the chocolate and cream until smooth and silky.
Place the ganache in the fridge until it is cool.
With an electric beater, beat the chilled ganache on medium until soft peaks form.
Divide in two, half to fill the cupcakes and half for the macarons.

For the Vanilla Buttercream

100g butter (softened)
2 ½ cups icing sugar
20 mls thickened cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pink food colouring

To make the icing- In a bowl beat butter until pale. Gradually beat in the icing sugar and then the vanilla and cream. The buttercream should be light and fluffy. If too thin gradually add a little more icing sugar, if too thick add a little more cream.

Spoon half of the buttercream into a second bowl and tint with a few drops of food colouring until the desired colour is reached.

Fit a piping bag with a large star shaped tip. Spoon the pink icing into one side of the piping bag and fill the remaining half with the white icing.

For the cupcakes

1 vanilla or butter cake mix.

To make the cupcakes- Preheat oven to 180 degrees c. Line your cupcake pan with cupcake papers. (mine made 14 cakes)

Prepare cake mix as per instructions.

Divide the cake mix evenly between cupcake liners. (I like to use an icecream scoop for this)

Bake the cupcakes for about 15-20 minutes until lighty golden and bounce back when poked.

Cool completely on a wire rack.

Carefully cut a cone shape out of the top of each cupcake, set aside the cutout piece.

Spoon or pipe the ganache filling into the cupcakes.

Cover the filling with the saved cake cutouts.

Pipe a swirl of icing onto each of the filled cupcakes.

Gently press a macaron on top of the buttercream.