Anise/Licorice Cupcakes With Fluffy White Frosting

My Dad requested t cupcakes for his Birthday and want then to be licorice flavored with some bits of licorice on top. I did use real licorice root steeped in warm milk but for ease I'm posting this recipe using anise oil-extract. If you want to make it that way steep 1/4 ounce of the root in the warmed 1 cup milk, blend in a blender and let steep for 15 minutes don't forget to strain it.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 18
• Yields: 18-24 cupcakes

Ingredients

• Cupcakes

• 2  cups cake flour
• 2  teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, Room temperature
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar (Try Flavored Sugar or Splenda using the anise)
• 1  cup milk
• 3  egg whites, 1/2 cup

• Garnish

•  licorice (or Good and Plenty, soft, chewy drops, nonpareil jellies and soft panned licorice balls)

• Fluffy White Frosting

• 2  egg whites, 1/3 cup
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄3 cup water
• 2  teaspoons light corn syrup
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  anise extract

Directions

1. Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and sift on to wax paper, set aside.
2. Beat butter and sugar in a mixing bowl till smooth and well blended. Stir in extract and milk add to butter mixture alternating with the flour mixture.
3. In a clean blow beat egg whites till stiff but still moist. Fold in gently 1/3 of the white into the batter, continue to fold in the remainder of the whites.
4. Pour into cupcake tins lined with paper cupcake holders. Pour 3/4 of the way. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile prepare Fluffy White Frosting: Combine all ingredients except vanilla and anise in the top of a double boiler over boiling water. Beat with electric mixer for about 7 minutes, or until mixture will stand in stiff peaks. Beat in vanilla and anise extract.
6. Cool completely then frost with a white frosting and top with your choice of licorice candy.