Cooking - Double Chocolate Cupcakes

Things have really been busy on the food front lately, as you can see from the blog.
With it being Valentines day today and with me not needing any more excuses to make cupcakes, I made these for my husband (oh ok, and also for me...).

These are for the chocolate lover in your life, light and moist chocolate cupcakes topped with a beautiful and rich buttercream with extra dark 70% chocolate. I added a touch of golden syrup to my usual sponge recipe and it gave the cupcakes a lovely crisp top, a bit like a brownie.



For 12 cupcakes:

4oz / 100g butter
4oz / 100g caster or granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 oz / 50g self raising flour
2 oz / 50g cocoa powder (Green & Blacks is the best)
2 tsps golden syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
optional - dried cranberries

Cream the butter and sugar til creamy, add in the eggs, vanilla extract and golden syrup. Combine. Then fold in your self raising flour and cocoa.

Spoon a generous heaped tablespoon into cupcake cases. Sprinkle with a couple of dried cranberries. Bake at gas mark 5 for 15minutes. Once baked allow to cool whilst you make the buttercream.

for the buttercream - thank you to Big Stove Year for the recipe, I reduced it for my cupcakes and it came out lovely!

100g butter, softened
100g icing sugar
tablespoon of milk
50g melted chocolate - 70% at least

*if you are really into your dark chocolate you could substitute a couple of tablespoons out of the icing sugar for cocoa powder for a proper chocolate kick.

Melt chocolate over a bain marie or bowl over hot water in a pan.
Cream butter and icing sugar together with the milk, use an electric whisk, this will really save your arms! Add a touch more milk if your icing seems a little dry.
Once combined add in your chocolate and whisk til very smooth.

Spread or pipe (I tried piping and it wasn't neat!) your icing over your cupcakes. Leave to set in the fridge until you can't bear it any longer and must eat one.

And obviously save one or two for the loved one in your life...

xx