Name: White Russian cupcake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 18 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: For the cupcakes; 310g cake flour; 8 tbsp vanilla instant pudding mix; 1 tbsp baking powder; 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 5 whole eggs; 2 tsp vanilla essence; 1 cup milk; 60ml gold top milk; 57g butter; 300g sugar; 85g sour cream; 2 tbsp mayonnaise; 30ml coffee liqueur; 1 tbsp mocha paste; Small chocolate pearls; Chocolate cigarettes; Edible gold dust; Vodka; For the Irish cream filling; 148ml double cream; 118ml Irish liqueur; For the Irish buttercream; 1.8kg butter, softened; 227g high ratio shortening; 880 icing sugar, sifted; 4 tbsp vanilla essence; 2 tbsp lemon essence; 1 tbsp mocha paste

1) Preheat the oven to 150C/Gas 2. Line the cups of a cupcake tin with 24 paper baking cases.

2) Combine the cake flour, pudding mix, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in 1 medium bowl. Crack the eggs into a second bowl and add the vanilla essence. Measure the milk and gold top milk into a third bowl. In a 5L mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides with a spatula. Turn the mixer on first speed, add the sugar, and mix until fluffy.

3) Add the eggs 1 at a time. Scrape down the bowl. Add the sour cream and mayonnaise and incorporate completely. Scrape down the bowl. Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the wet, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix the coffee liqueur and mocha paste into the batter until smooth and no lumps are present.

4) Using a 50g ice cream scoop, scoop 50g of batter into each paper case. Bake for 18 minutes. Insert a skewer into the cupcake, if it comes out clean they are ready to be removed from the oven. Leave to cool for 20 minutes.

5) Scoop out the centre of the cooled cupcakes with a melon baller. Fill a plastic bag with Irish cream filling and cut a small hole at one corner to allow the filling to be piped. Fill all the cupcakes with about 10g of filling.

To assemble the cupcakes:
1) Place a round tip #809 into a large piping bag. Fill the piping bag with Irish buttercream and generously pipe about 25g of buttercream onto each cupcake. Garnish each cupcake with 4 or 5 small chocolate pearls and a chocolate cigarette.

2) Mix equal parts gold dust with vodka to make an edible gold paint. Using a small round brush, paint the ends of the chocolate cigarettes. The edible paint will dry leaving behind the gold dust.

For the Irish cream filling:
1) In a 5L mixer with the paddle attachment, add the double cream and whip to full volume.

2) Add the Irish liqueur and, on first speed, fold in the liqueur until completely incorporated.

For the Irish buttercream:
1) In a 5L mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and shortening together. On first speed, add the sifted icing sugar to the bowl in 3 parts. Let each part incorporate into the butter mixture before adding the next. After adding all the sugar, put the mixer on the fourth (highest) speed and mix for 8 to 10 minutes. The buttercream will begin to gain volume and look white and fluffy. The longer you let it mix, the more volume you will have. If the buttercream is airy and shows a lot of holes, add a small amount of warm water and mix well.

2) Once you bring the buttercream to full volume, add the essences and the mocha paste. Lastly, add the liqueurs and vodka and incorporate completely

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.