Chocolate Vanilla Cupcakes

It was my friend Josh’s 18th birthday yesterday, so of course I baked him some cupcakes!
I adapted a recipe from Gizzi Erskine’s Kitchen Magic (my friend got me a copy for my birthday and I love it, it’s such a pretty book. Plus her recipe for Chicken and Mushroom soup is delish!

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ᴥ  Chocolate Vanilla Cupcakes 
-Makes approx. thirty

Ingredients
● Self raising flour – 255g
● Caster sugar – 255g
● Butter (I use marge) – 255g
● 1tsp baking powder
● 4/5 tbsp. cocoa powder
● A sprinkle of ground cinnamon
● Four1/2 large eggs ( I know you do  not get half eggs, I put in four + one white)
● 3-4 tbsp. milk
● 1 tsp. Vanilla extract

Step one: Cream your butter and sugar together until light and creamy…

Step two: Add in the eggs one by one, whisking as you go.

 

Step three: Sieve in the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon and baking powder (I felt that i used too much, you may want to not put in the baking powder, as long as you are using self raising). Fold in.

Step four: Add in your milk  and vanilla essence and give it all a blast with your whisk but not for too long.   

Step five: Pop into paper cases and put in the oven for about 25 mins ad 170 degrees C (150 if you’re using a fan)

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ᴥ Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients
● Dark Chocolate (Milk if you prefer, but trust me, you will like dark!)
● Double Cream
●Icing Sugar

I haven’t put in quantities for this as I have no idea how much you will need or how much I used! However much you use, put in as much cream as you do chocolate and the icing sugar to taste.

Step one: Melt your Chocolate in a Bain Marie.

Step two: Mix in your cream a little at a time, keeping it smooth. (you must use good quality chocolate or this will not work, I used Cadburys one time and it was just a big mess!).

Step three: Take off the heat and add in the icing sugar to taste. Whisk together until smooth.

Step Four: Cut a a cone shape into the middle of your cake and take out. In its place fill the hole with your lovely gooey sauce and pop the middle back in.

Step five: Let cool before icing the top. (you can try one if you like but prepare to get messy!)

 

I topped mine with a butter cream icing and then put royal icing disks on top which I then piped more chocolate ganache onto to say ‘Happy 18th Josh :)’
On my smaller cakes I used the ganache as icing and then piped little buttercream tops on too.

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Yum yum yum!!

x