Take your tastebuds on a journey to South America with these caramel-filled churro cupcakes with star toppings, perfect for entertaining.

Makes 12 // COOKING TIME 1 hour

Ingredients
For the buttercream icing
250 g butter, at room temperature
500 g icing sugar, sifted
1 tbsp milk
For the stars
50 g sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp butter
1 flour tortilla, cut into star shapes
For the churro cupcakes
½ cup butter, at room temperature
¾ cup caster sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¾ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
200 g tin caramel

Method
For the buttercream icing
1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl with an electric beater, until light and fluffy.
For the star toppings
1. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
2. Warm the butter in a pan over medium heat. Once melted, add the tortilla stars and fry until golden, turning over halfway.
3. Immediately coat the tortilla stars in the cinnamon sugar when you remove them from the pan.
4. Set aside on a cooling rack.
For the churro cupcakes
1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a muffin tray with cupcake cases.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then beat in the eggs.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients.
4. Mix thoroughly with an electric beater, but do not over-mix.
5. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Set aside and to cool completely.
6. When the cupcakes are cooled, cut out the centres with a knife and fill with the caramel. Pipe icing on to each cupcake and decorate with a star.

Recipe & styling: Diane Heierli
Photography: Christoph Heierli