Food icon Heinz has teamed up with the award-winning Hummingbird Bakery to celebrate its 150 year anniversary with a range of five cupcakes with a difference.

The heartiness of the Heinz Beanz along with all the moisture from the tomato sauce mixes beautifully with light brown sugar and flour to give a naturally golden-coloured carrot cake-like sponge. While the flavour of the beans is subtle and savoury, you’ll actually be able to get the firm texture of the beans as they have been left whole to bake into the sponge. The tomato sauce gives sweetness to the mixture which pairs beautifully with the maple syrup cream cheese frosting, coloured orange to match the original Heinz Beanz colour.

Makes 18 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

Cupcakes:

175 g               Sunflower oil
175 g               Light brown sugar
2                      Large free-range eggs

225 g               Plain flour
1 tsp                Baking powder

1 tsp                Bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp               Salt

1 can (415g)    Heinz Beanz

Frosting:
135 g   Unsalted butter, at room temperature
535 g   Icing sugar
320 g   Full-fat cream cheese, cold
80 g     Maple syrup

Small dollop of Orange coloured gel food colouring (we used ‘Tangerine’ shade)

Decoration:

50 g     Orange coloured nonpareils

Equipment:

Two 12-hole cupcake trays, lined with 24 standard muffin-sized paper cases

Electric hand-mixer or electric stand mixer

Ice cream scoop or food portioner

Scale

METHOD

Cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan)/Gas 4.
2. In a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk), add the sunflower oil, light brown sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl and mix for 1 minute on a medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed, then turn the mixer off.
3. Mix the plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a bowl and add these dry ingredients to the oil, sugar and eggs mixture. Mix together for another minute.
4. Pour the Heinz Beanz into the mix and fold them through on a slow speed.
5. Line your trays with cupcake cases then use an ice cream scoop or food portioner to scoop your mix into the cases until two-thirds full.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 24 – 26 mins, or until the sponge bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Leave the cupcakes to cool in their trays for about 15 minutes before turning onto a wire cooling rack.
7. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely.

Frosting:

1. While your cupcakes are baking, it’s time to make your frosting. You can use a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or a handheld electric whisk. Put the unsalted butter in a mixing bowl and beat this on medium speed so the butter is soft.
2. Add the cream cheese and icing sugar to the butter and mix through. Beat for at least 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Do not overbeat as it can quickly become runny.

Decorations:

1. Once your cupcakes are cool, it’s time to frost your cupcakes. Beat your frosting until fluffy.
2. Spoon out a generous scoop of frosting onto the top of your cupcakes and using a palette knife decorate until covered and add a swirl if you wish.
3. Scatter decorative nonpareils around the edge of the cupcake to finish.

Enjoy!

Recipe by The Hummingbird Bakery, 2019

hummingbirdbakery.com