Chocolate Cupcakes

The Gourmet Guru's signature Chocolate Cupcakes. Not only do they look spectacular they taste heavenly too!

Notes

This recipe comes from the secret files of The Gourmet Guru, Melissa West. Mel has just launched her new cupcake business and I was delighted that she chose to share one of her most coveted recipes with me.

This is a fantastic base cupcake recipe, what you decide to do in terms of decoration is limited only by your own imagination. My illustration showcases this recipe using Mel’s signature blue icing topped with Maltesers creation as well as her chocolate icing topped with baby pink marshmallows creation.

Ingredients

250g butter
250g sugar
250g self-raising flour
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
¼ cup cocoa powder

Ingredients – Butter Cream Icing

250g softened butter
500g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease 2x 12 mould cupcake trays. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar for 10min until thick and pale. Add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition. Sift in the flour and cocoa then fold into the mixture to combine. Fold in the vanilla essence. Spoon the mixture into the prepared trays filling each mould up to 3/4 full. Turn down the oven to 150C and place the trays in the oven. Bake 25min, swapping the position of the trays after 12min. Cakes are baked when an inserted skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and stand for 10min before turning out each cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Using an electric mixer beat the butter until soft then slowly add the sugar, beating continuously. Beat in the vanilla. For chocolate flavour add 1 tbsp cocoa powder and for colours add food colouring of your choice.

This type of icing, whilst ridiculously tasty does not like hot climates. It is best made in air conditioning or during cooler months as otherwise the butter will not hold.

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