Love Buns

by Nigella. Featured in FEAST

Introduction

In another time I'd have been satisfied with calling these Valentine's Day Cupcakes but, as the saying goes, if you're going to get wet, you may as well go swimming.

And please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding.

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

In another time I'd have been satisfied with calling these Valentine's Day Cupcakes but, as the saying goes, if you're going to get wet, you may as well go swimming.

And please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding.

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

As featured in

FEAST

2004

Buy Now

As featured in

FEAST

2004

Buy Now

Ingredients

Makes: 12 love buns

Metric Cups

For the Buns

125 grams soft butter
125 grams caster sugar
2 large eggs
125 grams plain flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 - 3 tablespoons milk

For the Topping

2 large egg whites
4 tablespoons golden syrup
100 grams caster sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 packet heart-shaped sprinkles (to decorate)

For the Buns

9 tablespoons soft butter
⅔ cup superfine sugar
2 large eggs
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 - 3 tablespoons milk

For the Topping

2 large egg whites
½ cup golden syrup or light corn syrup
½ cup superfine sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 packet heart-shaped sprinkles (to decorate)

Method

Take everything you need out of the fridge in time to bring to room temperature — this makes a huge difference to the lightness of the love buns later — and preheat the oven to gas mark 6/200°C/180°C Fan/400ºF.
Put all of the ingredients for the buns, except for the milk, into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Pulse while adding the milk down the funnel, to make a smooth dropping consistency.
Divide the mixture into a 12-bun muffin tin lined with muffin papers or heart-patterned cases, and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. They should have risen and be golden on top; you want a little peak if possible.
Let them cool a little in their tin on a rack, and then take them carefully out of the tin to cool in their papers, still on the wire rack.
Now for the topping. Here there is a slight dilemma, as you'll make more than you need for the 12 buns, but if you halve the quantities, you won't have quite enough. If you're making these for you and your one true love, then I presume you won't need all 12 of them, in which case you could freeze most of the buns to be iced and eaten at some later date, and halve the topping ingredients to decorate the few you want today.
This is a topping that has a kind of meringue base, by which you whisk egg whites over heat until they're stiff and gleaming. Think Mr Whippy. So make a doubleboiler with a bowl that will fit snugly over a saucepan of barely simmering water, and put all of the ingredients for the icing, except for the vanilla and sprinkles, into the bowl. Whisk everything with an electric beater until the icing becomes thick and holds peaks like a meringue. This will take about 5 minutes, so be patient.
Take the bowl off the saucepan and on to a cool surface and keep whisking while you add the vanilla. Then keep whisking until the mixture cools a little. You want a proper peaked and whipped covering here, so spoon some icing over each bun, and then dollop another spoonful over in a swirly fashion. Immediately shake over your choice of sprinkles, as the icing will set very quickly. Indeed, these look rather like stage prop buns or the fake ones that some bakeries used to keep in their windows, so plasticky and gleaming are they.

Take everything you need out of the fridge in time to bring to room temperature — this makes a huge difference to the lightness of the love buns later — and preheat the oven to gas mark 6/200°C/180°C Fan/400ºF.
Put all of the ingredients for the buns, except for the milk, into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Pulse while adding the milk down the funnel, to make a smooth dropping consistency.
Divide the mixture into a 12-bun muffin tin lined with muffin papers or heart-patterned cases, and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. They should have risen and be golden on top; you want a little peak if possible.
Let them cool a little in their tin on a rack, and then take them carefully out of the tin to cool in their papers, still on the wire rack.
Now for the topping. Here there is a slight dilemma, as you'll make more than you need for the 12 buns, but if you halve the quantities, you won't have quite enough. If you're making these for you and your one true love, then I presume you won't need all 12 of them, in which case you could freeze most of the buns to be iced and eaten at some later date, and halve the topping ingredients to decorate the few you want today.
This is a topping that has a kind of meringue base, by which you whisk egg whites over heat until they're stiff and gleaming. Think Mr Whippy. So make a doubleboiler with a bowl that will fit snugly over a saucepan of barely simmering water, and put all of the ingredients for the icing, except for the vanilla and sprinkles, into the bowl. Whisk everything with an electric beater until the icing becomes thick and holds peaks like a meringue. This will take about 5 minutes, so be patient.
Take the bowl off the saucepan and on to a cool surface and keep whisking while you add the vanilla. Then keep whisking until the mixture cools a little. You want a proper peaked and whipped covering here, so spoon some icing over each bun, and then dollop another spoonful over in a swirly fashion. Immediately shake over your choice of sprinkles, as the icing will set very quickly. Indeed, these look rather like stage prop buns or the fake ones that some bakeries used to keep in their windows, so plasticky and gleaming are they.

Additional Information

NOTE: this recipe contains raw or lightly cooked eggs, and is not suitable for people with compromised or weak immune systems, such as younger children, the elderly or pregnant women. If you want to make a similar style offering but without the raw egg, simply make the love buns, let them cool then spread them with strawberry jam. Whisk some double cream until thick and mound and swirl this on the little cakes to achieve much the same effect as the Mr Whippy icing in the picture on the previous page, and serve immediately with or without sprinkles.

MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
The sponges can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container until needed. The sponges can also be frozen in an airtight container, with parchment between the layers of sponges, for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature for about 2 hours. The buns are at their best within 2 hours of adding the icing. After this, store in the fridge and eat within 1 day. The icing will soften in the fridge.

Tell us what you think

What 5 Others have said

Made these with buttercream icing, they were sickly sweet. I don't recommend swapping the icing to buttercream. The cupcake themselves were delicious.

Posted by Z_Heath on 14th February 2017
Absolutely loved making these! The texture of the icing is superb and the lightness of the cupcakes is unbelievable. They (the icing and cake) are very flavoursome and you would be able to just have them plain (but maybe with some dusted icing sugar or a glaze) if the icing seems to daunting.

Posted by sa.lav on 1st March 2015
love buns made for heavenly moments...

Posted by eleja on 16th February 2014
I just made these muffins, they are gorgeous! The bun itself is lovely! I found that if I used my icing sparingly I could satisfactorily ice all 12 of the muffins without needing to freeze and remake my icing! I will definately make these again!

Posted by clare614 on 11th February 2012
these r the yummiest and cutest cupcakes ever xxx

Posted by kissberry on 14th October 2011