The perfect chocolate cupcake
So this week is National Cupcake Week (as if we needed an excuse to eat cupcakes anyway), so I thought we’d go ‘back to basics’ today with a ressup for the perfect deeply darkly chocolatey cupcake with added… (you can get this)… chocolate! ‘Tis dead easy and a thing of beauty. Brace yourselves, then:
For the cupcakes, you’ll need:
200g bar dark chocolate (something with high cocoa solids is best) – remember only half is for the cupcake mix, the other half is for the ganache.
170g butter, softened
170g caster sugar
3 eggs (fresh from the chicken, preferably, but if not, room temperature is better than straight from the fridge)
115g self raising flour
55g cocoa powder
Double cream
First, then, preheat the oven to 180/gas 4. Snap the chocky into squares and melt it in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water (bain marie, blah blah).
Leave it aside to cool slightly while you beat together the butter and sugar until they’re really light and fluffy (did I mention I have a shiny new KitchenAid to perform this task? Yes? Oh okay then).
Now add in the eggs one at a time, beating really well after each addition.
Sieve the flour and cocoa into a bowl and fold them gently into the mixture.
Now, grab your melted chocolate and pour HALF of it into the mixture. Stir briefly to combine.
Dollop into paper muffin cups in a 12-hole muffin tray, or if you’re really greedy and want to make MASSIVE cupcakes, then just make 8 and stuff them very full.
Bake them for about 15/20 minutes (the bigger ones will take longer) or until the centre springs back up when you push it with your finger. Leave them to cool on a wire rack.
Now, for the ganache, take the rest of your melted chocolate, place it into your shiny new KitchenAid (oh yes, okay, you can use a bowl and a whisk if you don’t have one) and whizz whilst gently pouring in just a slosh of double cream. Don’t go mad – you need it thick enough to pile lusciously on top of your chocolatey cupcakes:
Finally, lock the door, take your cupcakes and sit in the corner of the kitchen, stuffing them into your face in a slightly deranged manner. Or if you’re really mental I suppose you could even share them.
25 Responses to “The perfect chocolate cupcake”
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Mmmmmmmmm!
Now look what I’ve done. I’ve gone and drooled all over my keyboard.
(BTW, thanks for adding “Subscribe to Comments”. Now my aging little brain has one thing less to remember)
And you’re welcome. Andy did it ‘specially for you! x
Made buttercream last week with rosewater for flavouring and the itsiest dot of rose pink colouring. Tasted like Turkish delight and GUESS who the colour made me think of? Hmmm?
No… no, sorry, I should NOT have said that…
How many tiers? Four? Five?
My, those do look delicious!