Roasted Pear Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
·Roast the pears
Peel the pears, remove the cores and cut into small pieces. Mix the sugar with the spices and sprinkle over the pears placed in a baking dish. Bake in an oven preheated to 190 °C for about 20 minutes.
Watch the colour
Keep an eye on the pears as they bake, since every oven runs a little differently — you don't want them to burn. They should turn a lovely golden colour. The sugar will melt and caramelise, and the pears will release a little juice.
Let them cool
Let the roasted pears cool slightly. Set aside about twenty small pieces to decorate the finished cupcakes.
Dry ingredients
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda and a pinch of salt.
Wet ingredients and combining
Whisk the eggs together with the sugar. Add the melted butter, yoghurt and milk. Gently fold the dry ingredients into this mixture using a spatula or wooden spoon.
Fold in the pears
Mix until you have a smooth batter that isn't too runny. Finally, fold in the roasted pear pieces along with the juice they released while baking.
Bake and cool completely
Divide the batter among paper liners in a muffin tin, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake in an oven preheated to 180 °C for about 25 minutes. Let the baked muffins cool completely, otherwise the frosting will melt on top.
Frosting
Beat the softened butter with the sugar and cinnamon. Add the cream cheese and beat until you get a smooth, light frosting. Chill it briefly in the fridge until it firms up a little.
Decorate
Spoon the firmer frosting into a piping bag and pipe a swirl onto each cupcake. Lightly dust with cinnamon, sprinkle with chopped chocolate and top with a piece of roasted pear.
