Jean-Christophe Novelli's Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Cakes #BeBoldGoGold

Renowned celebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli has whipped up a delicious gold-themed cupcake recipe to raise awareness and money as part of a leading cancer charity’s #BeBoldGoGold campaign for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month this September. The French chef, whose young son Valentino was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer at just eight weeks old, hopes lots of people will get involved and have a go at baking the quick and easy recipe.

Jean-Christophe’s golden honey and lemon cupcakes reflect the gold theme of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, with supporters also being encouraged to wear a gold ribbon and help spread the word that cancer affects everyone, even children.

Jean-Christophe said: “I hope my recipe is a fun way for everyone including children to join in with Childhood Cancer Awareness Month to help raise awareness. People can raise funds for childhood cancer by donating to CCLG or even having a cupcake bake sale! Until you are going through this experience yourself, you simply cannot imagine what it will be like.”

Jean-Christophe Novelli's golden honey and lemon cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

2 eggs

125g self-raising flour

125g margarine

25g runny honey

75g caster sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

Honey filling (optional)

75g sugar

55g runny honey

110g double cream

1tbsp butter

Honey buttercream

125g soft butter

175g icing sugar

25g runny honey

Method

Runny honey filling

Place the honey and sugar in a small pan and stir over a medium heat until the sugar is melted.

Allow the mixture to bubble gently without stirring for a few minutes until the mixture becomes caramel coloured.

Take off the heat and stir in the cream then the butter.

Let this mixture cool before putting it in the cupcakes.

Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Lay 10 metallic gold cupcake cases in a 12 hole muffin tin.

Put all the ingredients for the cupcakes in a bowl and beat together, ideally with an electric mixer, until combined and soft.

Divide the mixture between the 10 cases.

Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden and springy to touch.

Buttercream

Carefully beat the icing sugar and soft butter together until soft and creamy (this is easier with an electric mixer but the icing sugar can create a huge cloud of sugar dust, so beware!)

Add the honey and beat until combined.

Assembling the cupcakes

Once the cupcakes are cool cut a hole in the middle and fill the hole with the runny honey filling.

Top the cupcakes with buttercream.

To decorate:

Rose piping:

Use a piping bag with a large star nozzle filled with buttercream. Start piping from the centre of the cupcake and spiral outwards finishing on the edge. Finish with a puff of edible gold glitter.

Gold sprinkles:

Spread the buttercream on to the cupcake using a butter knife then sprinkle gold crunch sprinkles on top.

Smiley face:

To make the gold dome, roll out caramel coloured sugarpaste and cut out a large circle. Gently lay the circle over a foam dome and allow to dry overnight. To make the face, pipe white dots using royal icing, cut out eyes and a mouth using circle cutters and black and white sugarpaste.

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The full cupcake recipe can be downloaded at www.cclg.org.uk/jean-christophe-cupcakes

To find out how you can get involved or how to donate in support of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month #CCAM, visit: https://www.cclg.org.uk/childhoodcancerawarenessmonth

To donate £3 text GOLD to 70700