Cranberry Cup Cakes

Girls love to get together and catch up over canapés and luxurious drinks! This October, get your girlfriends together for a girls night in and help raise money to support breast cancer research. Indulge your friends by cooking up a storm of cranberry-inspired canapés, sweet treats and refreshing cocktails.

Cranberries are jam-packed with antioxidants, which is important for good health and glowing skin. With their fun bright red colour, cranberries will also give your snacks the ultimate girlie hue pink!

Cranberries contain bacteria-blocking compounds that are believed to be helpful in preventing urinary tract infections, and recent research suggests this same function may be useful in blocking the bacteria responsible for stomach ulcers and certain oral bacteria that can lead to gum disease.

Check out www.cranberries.com.au for more delicious recipe ideas and information on cranberries' health benefits.

Cranberry Cup Cakes

Ingredients

1¼ cups fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tablespoons caster sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
125g butter
¾ cup caster sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups SR flour, sifted
½ cup milk
pinch salt

Icing:
1 ½ cup icing sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons butter

Method:

1. Place cranberries, caster sugar, lemon juice and water in a small saucepan. Cook for about 5 minutes over a moderate heat until berries burst and are softened. Crush berries using the back of a spoon until a thick puree. Cool. Remove 2 tablespoons and push through a sieve.

2. Set aside for icing.

3. Preheat oven to 180deg C and line a large muffin tray or two small muffin trays with patty cases. Cream butter and caster sugar until pale. Add beaten eggs and cooled cranberry mixture. Stir in sifted flour, salt and milk. Spoon mixture into paper cases and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden (12-15 minutes if using smaller muffin size).

4. Cool on a wire rack

5. Icing: Place butter, reserved strained cranberry puree in a bowl. Beat in icing sugar gradually until thick and smooth. Use to decorate cup cakes.