Very Vanilla Chocolate Topped Cupcakes

I thought I'd start off my blog with a simple yet super tasty recipe to get your juices flowing so i give you: Very vanilla Chocolate Topped Cupcakes! :D

 

These cupcakes are a great twist on a classic recipe, super easy to make and they look fab.
The sponge is really light and moist and the frosting is, rich, creamy and indulgent. They're perfect as a treat for you or to gift out to others. .

Recipe - Makes approx 12 large cupcakes 
2 large eggs, room temp
150g Golden Castor sugar
150g Soft Margarine at room temp
160g Self Raising Flour
1 tablespoon of good quality vanilla essence/bean paste  

or the seeds from a whole vanilla pod plus 1tsp of essence

For the icing
250g Softened Unsalted Butter
450g Icing Sugar, well sifted
200g Dark Chocolate (for a lighter frosting use 150g milk chocolate instead)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 tablespoons tepid water
Sprinkles and stuff to decorate

To make the cakes:
Set your oven to medium temp (about 170'c fan or slightly higher if it's not a fan oven)
Add the margarine to a large mixing bowl and whip with an electric hand mixer until fluffy.

Add the sugar and whip again until light and creamy.
Add the eggs to the bowl and whip on a medium speed until just combined. At this point add in 1/3 of the flour and whip until just combined. 

Add your choice of vanilla and mix in then add half the remaining flour and whip on highest setting until combined. 

Add the rest of the flour and whip on high continuing to whip until you see the mixture go a lighter colour. It should be a fairly thick consistency but almost mousse like in texture.
Line a muffin tray with your favourite paper cases.(I like to use big muffin cases in plain colours bit this bit really is just personal choice)
Dollop a heaped dessert spoon of cake batter into each case so that they are about half full or just under. Be careful not to overfill the cases as the mixture should double in size in the oven.
Bake the cakes for around 20-30 mins or until lightly golden on top, springy to touch and a skewer comes out of the centre clean.
Leave to cool in the tray for 10 mins then transfer to a wire rack.

While the cakes cool make your frosting:
Put the soft butter in a clean mixing bowl and add the vanilla and water. Beat until the butter is fluffy and the liquid absorbed.
Add the icing sugar a couple of spoon fulls at a time and beat well after each addition. It takes a while but this part is really important to the end result of your frosting and also makes sure you don't end up creating a sugar cloud! :D
Once all the sugar is incorporated, mix on high for about 5-10 mins until the icing it thick but soft and airy.
You now have a standard buttercream mix!
Melt the chocolate and leave to cool slightly. Pour all the chocolate into the icing bowl and beat into the buttercream well. 

Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let the mixture rest for half an hour.

Once the cakes have completely cooled, load the frosting into an icing bag and pipe onto the cakes. Add as much or as little as you want. I like to use a star nozzle but they'd look just as good with a plain one. 

Finish with a few sprinkles and a decoration of choice. I just loved these tiny little Dairy Milk bars and as these cakes are a birthday gift for a Cadbury loving friend they were perfect!

Finally, insert into facial orifice :D

I hope you enjoyed my first recipe share. I'd really appreciate your feedback and critique/hints/tips in the comments below. 

For the chance to win a box of Cadbury Dairy Milk Mini's, stay tuned for my next post!

Chow For Now

JenStar x