FOOD                                                                                                                page 1 »

Spring Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes 10
Prep time: 15-20mins   |   Cook time: 20mins

INGREDIENTS
• 300g dark chocolate, broken into chunks -
  don't use one with a high cocoa content
• 200g self-raising flour
• 200g light muscovado sugar, plus 3 tbsp extra
• 6 tbsp cocoa
• 150ml sunflower oil, plus a little extra for greasing
• 284ml pot soured cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and line a 10-hole muffin tin with paper cases. Whizz the chocolate into small pieces in a food processor. In the largest mixing bowl you have, tip in the flour, sugar, cocoa, oil, 100ml soured cream, eggs, vanilla and 100ml water. Whisk everything together with electric beaters until smooth, then quickly stir in 100g of the whizzed-up chocolate bits. Divide between the 10 cases, then bake for 20 mins until a skewer inserted comes out clean (make sure you don't poke it into a chocolate chip bit). Cool on a wire rack.

2. To make the icing, put the remaining chocolate bits, soured cream and 3 tbsp sugar in a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring, until the chocolate is melted and you have a smooth icing. Chill in the fridge until firm enough to swirl on top of the muffins, then tuck in.

TRY Mocha ones
Butter a round, deep 20cm cake tin, then line the base with baking paper. Make the cake batter as before, adding 1 tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water. Tip into the tin, then bake for 50-60 mins until risen and springy to the touch. Insert a skewer into the middle - it's ready if the skewer comes out clean. If not, give it 5 mins more. Cool completely on a wire rack, then top with the icing.