Cupcake Jemma Chocolate Cupcakes

I was craving something chocolatey over the weekend, so I decided to whip up these deliciously gooey chocolate cupcakes. They’re soft, rich, and topped with smooth, creamy dark chocolate buttercream — pure indulgence in cupcake form!

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

• 75g dark chocolate
• 175g plain flour
• 30g cocoa powder
• 185g caster sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 120ml cooled coffee
• 120ml buttermilk
• 105ml vegetable oil

For the Buttercream:

• 180g dark chocolate
• 300g un-salted butter, soft
• 540g sifted icing sugar
• 4 tablespoon whole milk

Method:

For the Cupcakes: 

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a 12 holed muffin tray with paper cases.
2. Finely chop the chocolate and add to a medium sized bowl.
3. Add the rest of the dry ingredients to the same bowl using a sieve - so ... the plain flour, cocoa powder, caster sugar and bicarbonate of soda. Mix with a whisk so everything is combined.
4. In a free standing mixer bowl - add the eggs, cooled coffee, buttermilk and vegetable oil and beat for a minute or so until combined.
5. With the mixer on slow - gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat for a couple of minutes until everything is combined.
6. Transfer the mixture to a jug as it will be too runny to spoon into the cases.
7. Fill the paper cases 2/3 full and use a spoon to catch the drips from the jug as you fill up each case.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until they spring back when touched.
9. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

For the Buttercream:

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot, but not boiling water. Ensure the water does not touch the bottom/side of the bowl. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
2. Put the butter in a bowl of a free standing mixer and beat for about 10 minutes - the butter should be pale white and whip-like.
3. Add half of the sifted icing sugar and beat for a further 5 minutes.
4. Add the last of the sifted icing sugar and beat for another 5 minutes.
5. Add the whole milk and again beat for another 5 minutes.
6. Gradually add the chocolate and beat for another 5 minutes (ensure the chocolate is cool and not still hot as you don't want to melt the butter in the icing and end up with a sloppy mess).
7. Then you can pipe or dollop the icing onto the cupcakes.