Divine chocolate and Primose Bakery: milk chocolate cupcakes

Makes 20 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes
*85g soft unsalted butter
*250g Fairtrade light brown sugar
*165g Divine 38% Milk Chocolate Baking Bar, melted
*4 eggs
*250g self-raising flour
*100ml whole milk

Buttercream
*250g Divine 38% Milk Chocolate Baking Bar, melted
*250g soft unsalted butter
*600g Fairtrade icing sugar
*50ml double cream

Method

To make the cupcakes

1 Preheat your oven to 160°C and line your cupcake cases with the paper liners.

2 Cream the butter and sugar together using a hand held whisk or stand mixer until light and fluffy.

3 Add the melted chocolate to the sugar and butter mixture and combine.

4 Gradually incorporate the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly.

5 Add the flour and the milk and beat until the mixture is smooth.

6 Using a spatula, fold the batter a few times in the bowl to reduce the amount of air in the mixture.

7 Spoon the batter into the cupcake cases until they are half full.

8 Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.

9 Leave the cupcakes to cool in the tin for a couple of minutes before moving to a cooling rack to cool down fully.

To make the buttercream frosting

1 Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave in short bursts, ensuring you don’t overcook or burn the chocolate. Set aside to cool slightly.

2 Once cooled, add the softened butter, icing sugar and cream, beating with a handheld electric beater or stand mixer until smooth.

3 Ice each cupcake with buttercream and decorate as desired with a chocolate heart, curl, or a sprinkling of cocoa powder.

To make chocolate curls

1 Use a 100g bar of chocolate, or half a 200g Baking Bar.

2 Remove from the wrapper and place on a piece of kitchen paper, then microwave 1 minute on medium, turning the chocolate every 10 seconds. The bar should feel warm, but not melted.

3 Place on a board flat side up and with a sharp, long knife, place the blade at an angle on to the chocolate and carefully pull the blade towards you to form a thin curl of chocolate. Turn the bar after each curl.

4 If the curls are brittle, warm the chocolate as before for a few seconds. Place on a plate and chill the curls before using to decorate your cake.