Honeycomb Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 160°C fan oven/ Gas mark 4. Line a 12 hole muffin tray with Muffin Cases.

In a bowl cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and Vanilla Extract and mix until combined – if the mixture begins to curdle add a spoonful of flour.

Sieve the flour on top and fold into the mixture until fully combined.

Divide the mixture evenly between the Muffin Cases and place in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and risen. Once baked remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tray for 10 minutes and then place on cooling rack to cool completely.

Whilst the cupcakes are baking making the honeycomb; grease a deep 18cm (7inch) square cake tin. Place the sugar in a large saucepan with the Liquid Glucose, honey and 30ml (2 tbsp) of water. Heat and stir gently, until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook, without stirring, for about 3 minutes until the mixture turns a deep, golden caramel.

Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the Bicarbonate of Soda thoroughly - the mixture will immediately foam in the saucepan. Quickly pour into the prepared tin whilst still foaming. Leave to cool and set and carefully remove from the tin. Put upside down on a board lined with baking parchment.

Once completely cooled break into pieces and place in a large bowl.

Break the Chocolate into a microwavable bowl and microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring between each burst until the chocolate has melted. Leave the chocolate to cool for 15 minutes. – it is important the chocolate is cooled otherwise it will melt the honeycomb.

Once cooled pout the chocolate over the honeycomb and stir to ensure all the honeycomb pieces are covered in chocolate. 

Pour the honeycomb onto a tray covered in grease proof and leave to set.

To make the buttercream- Pop the butter in a bowl and beat with a hand help electric whisk, until light and fluffy. Add in the icing sugar and vanilla and beat until combined.

Take a sharp knife and cut a circle out of the top of each cake at an angle about 1cm (½ inch) from the edge. Chop the middle off the circle of sponge to it is flat. Fill the hole with salted caramel and place the sponge top on the caramel.

Reserve 12 chunks of honeycomb to one side to place on top of each cupcake.

Break the remaining honeycomb into smaller pieces and add the vanilla buttercream. Stir the buttercream and honeycomb pieces together.

Palette the honeycomb buttercream onto each cupcake. – it won’t be smooth due to chunks of honeycomb in the buttercream.

Place the large chunks of honeycomb on top of each cupcake and drizzle with any left over salted caramel. Your cupcakes are now ready to enjoy!