Chocolate Cupcakes. So Indulgent and Cheering.

Last weekend we visited some lovely SA friends after they'd been on a ski trip...  Rob, a keen surfer and kite surfer, was always dubious about flying to Europe to try snowboarding when the price was equivalent to 3 surf trips.  Nonetheless, off they went...

But sadly, when we saw them last weekend poor Bonnie had her hand strapped up following a break and Rob had his arm in a sling after a dislocated shoulder and subsequent op, both due to the mountain....So to try and cheer them up I made some seriously rich fudgy chocolate cupcakes, christened Kruger cupcakes by Bonnie.  I'm not sure they helped with the injuries but apparently they went down a storm on a 24-hour doctoring shift.

It is a BBC recipe and also works well as an iced chocolate Victoria sponge.

Ingredients

For the cake

225 g plain flour
350 g caster sugar
85 g cocoa powder, sifted
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 free-range eggs
250 ml milk
125 ml vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
250 ml boiling water

For the chocolate icing

200 g plain chocolate
200 ml cream

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line 24 muffin tins with paper cases.
2. Place all the cake ingredients except the boiling water into a large mixing bowl.  Using a wooden spoon beat the mixture until smooth and well combined.
3. Add the boiling water to the mixture, a little at a time, until smooth.   The mixture will be very liquid.
4. Use a measuring jug to pour the mixture into the cupcake cases.

5. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes or so, until the top is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre of one or two of the cupcakes comes put clean.

6. Place on a wire rack still in the tins to cool.
7. Make the icing. Heat the chocolate and cream together over a gentle heat in a saucepan.  When the chocolate melts remove from the heat and whisk the mixture until smooth, glossy and thickened.  Set aside to cool for 1-2 hours, or until thick enough to spread over the cupcakes.
8. When the cupcakes are cool, remove from the tins and spread over some icing and decorate as you wish.

Yum, yum, yum.  the animals are courtesy of my lovely friend, Vic. xx