Baking Advent Calendar day 13

For Baking Advent Calendar day 13 lets talk about cupcakes. Normally these are far from being my favourite baked item. The shop bought variety always feel as if far more thought has been given to the design and look of them as to what the finished item will actually tastes like. I find they are usually an over abundance of sweetened cream balanced on top of an often unexciting cake.

I’d never bothered to bake any at home until I saw that AgathaChocolats had put a chocolate cupcake challenge on Twitter. Agatha is a confirmed chocoholic and her challenge was to post a picture of your chocolate cupcake bakes and she would pick a winner. 

I decided that I wanted a cupcake where the cake itself was the key flavour with the topping complimenting it. With that in mind I opted for rich dark chocolate cakes topped with a swirl of vanilla cream and I’m pleased to say that my cakes were picked as the winners.

This recipe makes 18 cakes. If that’s more than you want just half everything

Ingredients for the cakes

• 200g dark chocolate, cut into pieces
• 250g unsalted butter
• 4.5 tsp cocoa powder
• 6 eggs, separated 
• 225g caster sugar
• 165gm plain flour
• pinch of salt

Ingredients for the icing

• 125g unsalted butter
• 150g icing sugar
• 1 tbsp milk
• tsp vanilla extract

Method for the cake

• Preheat the oven to gas mark 3 and fill a muffin tin with paper liners.
• In a saucepan melt the pieces of chocolate with the butter and cocoa powder
• Whisk the egg yolks and the sugar until thick and pale
• Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form
• Combine the flour and salt in a bowl, then gradually add them to the egg yolk and sugar mix
• Pour in the chocolate mix while stirring, then gently fold in the whisked egg whites.
• Pour the batter into the paper liners in the muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Method for the icing

• Beat the butter and sugar together until smooth. I find this works best in a food mixer.
• Add the milk & vanilla and beat again
• Once the cakes are completely cool either pipe the icing on top of the cakes if you want a swirl or just use a spatula.
• I then sprinkled some edible petals on top for a final touch.