Chocolate Cupcakes.

The last time I had a cupcake was to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012. Commercially made, it was an amazing looking confection, topped with a picture of her majesty and smothered in edible glitter... It looked wonderful, but tasted disappointingly synthetic and plain nasty. The sense of anti climax made me vow never, ever to bother eating another.

But yesterday when our four year old Granddaughter begged to do some baking, rather than make a single large cake, I decided to give cupcakes another chance. She insisted that they had to be "really chocolatey" and I wanted something simple so that she could do as much of the process as possible- so I used the following easy recipe.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Cakes

100gm plain flour
30gm Green and Blacks Organic cocoa powder (or another brand)
1½ tsp baking powder
140 gm granulated sugar
40gm unsalted butter (at room temperature)
120 ml milk
1 egg
¼ tsp vanilla extract

12 hole cupcake tray with paper cases.

Icing

100gm unsalted butter
200gm icing sugar
1 tablespoon Green and Blacks Organic cocoa powder

Method

1.  Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3
2.  Weigh out the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and mix these together in a bowl until they are evenly mixed. Add the sugar and butter then beat with an electric mixer on a slow speed until the ingredients are combined into an even sandy texture.
3.  Measure the milk in a large glass measuring jug, then add the egg and vanilla. Beat these together in the jug until well mixed. 
4.  Pour half of the milk /egg mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and beat on a slow setting to combine. Add the rest of the liquid and beat for a further 2 minutes until the mixture has turned lighter in colour and is smooth. (Scrape any unmixed ingredients off the sides of the bowl with a spatula)
5.  Spoon cake mixture  evenly into the paper cases. Bake for 20- 25 minutes until the sponge bounces back when touched. 
6.  Carefully lift the cakes onto a wire rack to cool. 
7.  While the cakes cool, make butter icing by beating together the butter, icing sugar and cocoa. Beat for several minutes until the mixture becomes light in colour. Pipe rosettes of icing onto the cold cakes and decorate as desired.

Cleaning the mixing bowl

The finished cakes iced, decorated and ready to eat

Add family and a cup of tea for a perfect afternoon!