Mini hamburger cupcakes

For these cupcakes I like to use mini whoopie pie tins as they are the perfect shape for burger buns and beef patties. For larger cakes you could use regular whoopie pie tins.

Ingredients for the burger buns (vanilla butter cake):

• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 150g butter, cubed
• 55ml (2/3 cup) milk
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla essence
• Butter for greasing

Ingredients for the beef patties (chocolate cake):

• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 75g butter, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, sifted
• 3/4 cup self-raising flour
• 1 egg
• Butter for greasing

Ingredients (for decoration):

• 6 cups pure icing sugar, sifted
• 100g butter, softened
• Red, yellow and green food colouring
• Yellow fondant
• Sesame seeds

Method for the burger buns (vanilla butter cake):

1. Position a rack on the second lowest shelf of the oven. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Grease the whoopie pie tins.
3. Place the self-raising flour, plain flour, sugar, butter, milk, eggs and vanilla essence in a large mixing bowl.
4. Mix on low speed with an electric beater for 30 seconds or until just combined. Increase the speed to high and beat for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is thick and the butter is combined.
5. Using a spoon or a piping bag, drop small amounts into each of the whoopie pie sections. Spread if necessary so the filling fills the space and is slightly hollow/sunken.
6. Bake until the little cakes are just golden (approx. 5 minutes).
7. Remove from oven and turn the cakes onto a wire rack to cool.

Method for the beef patties (chocolate cake):

1. Position a rack on the second lowest shelf of the oven. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Grease the whoopie pie tins.
3. Combine sugar, butter, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa and water in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 2 minutes or until mixture doubles. Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
4. Add flour and eggs. Using an electric mixer, beat mixture until pale and smooth.
5. Using a spoon or a piping bag, drop small amounts into each of the whoopie pie sections (make half as many chocolate cakes as you did vanilla). Spread if necessary so the filling fills the space and is slightly hollow/sunken.
6. Bake until the little cakes have risen slightly (approx. 5 minutes).
7. Remove from oven and turn the cakes onto a wire rack to cool.

Method (to assemble the burger and decorate):

1. Mix 2 cups of the sifted icing sugar with 50g of the softened butter and, if necessary, just enough water to make a thick icing. You want a dark bright green colour, so add at least 6 drops of green food colouring. Add more if necessary, until you have reached a ‘lettuce’ colour.
2. Use a ruffle, basket-weave or specialty tip when piping the lettuce. Fill the piping bag with the icing, take half the cooled vanilla whoopie pies, and ice them just around the edge using jagged motions to achieve the ruffled edge appearance of lettuce. After each one, while the icing is still wet, quickly add one of the chocolate whoopie pies on top to sandwich the ‘lettuce’ between the ‘bun’ and the ‘beef patty’.
3. Roll out the yellow fondant to a few millimetres thick, and cut out tiny right-angled triangles, to make four points of ‘cheese’. On four sides of the chocolate whoopie pie, add a drop of icing (to serve as glue) and stick one of the fondant triangles to each drop (right-angle corner point out).
4. Mix 2 cups of the sifted icing sugar with the remaining softened butter, and if necessary, just enough water to make a thick icing. You want a bright red colour, so add at least 4 drops of red food colouring. Add more if necessary, until you have reached a vibrant ‘tomato’ colour.
5. Using another clean piping bag with a round tip, pipe the red icing between the yellow points to look like tomato slices. It doesn’t matter if the icing dribbles a little bit (it will look like tomato sauce), as long as you cover any consistencies with the yellow fondant and icing that may be visible after the top ‘bun’ is added.
6. After each one, while the icing is still wet, quickly add the final vanilla whoopie pies on top to sandwich the ‘cheese’ and ‘tomato’ between the ‘beef patty’ and the ‘bun’.
7. Take a small amount of sesame seeds, and press them onto the top of each bun.

Here is a diagram to help you assemble the cupcakes:

Voilà! Beautiful mini hamburger cupcakes!