Double chocolate cupcakes

Since my last post I have started playing with the new KitchenAid and the verdict is that I absolutely love it! Right now there is a loaf of balsamic vinegar and roasted red onion bread rising in the airing cupboard (post to follow once I’ve finished it), and a cake tin full of delicious cupcakes.

These come from the Peyton and Byrne British Baking book I’ve mentioned before and are quite possibly the best chocolate cakes I have ever eaten (and there have been quite a few!!).  The list of ingredients is slightly longer than in a basic chocolate sponge recipe but if you have time I’d say it is definitely worth making these as they are a lighter, richer, and altogether more indulgent version of a chocolate cupcake. 

For the sponge you will need the following (and this makes 12 cakes):

• 100g good quality dark chocolate
• 110g unsalted butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g light brown sugar (I used a dark muscovado)
• 2 eggs
• 140g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100ml buttermilk (or 50ml milk mixed with 50ml runny natural yoghurt)

The recipe says to melt the chocolate over simmering water, and then add to the cake mix once the butter and sugars have been creamed together and mixed with the eggs.

Once all the other ingredients are added it says to bake these in an oven at 170 degrees / Gas 3 for about 15 minutes or until springy. I think they needed a little nearer to 20 minutes and my oven is usually on the fast side.

While the cakes were cooling, I made the chocolate fudge icing, for which you will need:

• 60g good quality dark chocolate
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp boiling water
• 90g unsalted butter
• 250g icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of sea salt

The chocolate is melted and mixed with the paste made out of the water and cocoa powder, and is then mixed into the other ingredients. This is where a mixer makes a huge difference as it will beat the icing faster and for longer than I could do by hand, which gives a creamier texture.

Although the cake on its own was delicious, these are extra special with the icing. The picture in the book showed the icing piped on the top of the cakes (when they have fully cooled) in a swirl and so this is what I tried to do, but I made some others with the icing spread on the top with a palette knife and coated in grated white chocolate which looked equally pretty. The one thing I would say is to make sure the butter is very soft before you make the icing otherwise it will be quite difficult to pipe onto the cakes.

So far these cupcakes have been tried by myself and Ben, as well as a friend who came over for the evening last night, and we all love them! I will definitely be baking these again and hope you think they are worth a try too!