Cola Cupcakes
Another new recipe from the new Hummingbird Bakery cookbook – cola cupcakes! These cupcakes use a standard sponge base, but instead of vanilla extract, you add some cola syrup. There’s only been one recommended product for the cola syrup and that’s from SodaStream – but I found that you can order in smaller quantities (and lower prices) through Argos or Dunelm Mill. There’s a big variety of flavours to choose from, so the possibilities are endless with soft drink flavoured cupcakes.
I made these cupcakes for Stef, who just moved into a new place (any excuse to bake). I used cola bottle sweets as some of the decorations and standard buttercream for the rest.
The sponges didn’t smell much like cola flavour at all – and apparently, it didn’t taste very strongly of cola either. When I was mixing in the syrup to the dry mixture, it didn’t seem to be enough but seeing as it was syrup, I didn’t want to add too much in case it made the cupcakes too sweet.
The buttercream used the same amount of syrup as the mixture, but this time I added a little less icing sugar and a little more syrup. From what I tasted, the cola flavour was more prominent but it was still very buttery from the buttercream.
I think there was a mixed response to these cupcakes – they are a strange flavour but I thought I best experiment just to see if they’d be suitable for any future fayres/events!
