Devil's Food Cupcakes for National Cupcake Week

As I'm sure most of you know, this week in the UK is National Cupcake Week, so I couldn't let it pass without trying a recipe I've been wanting to taste for ages, and it did not disappoint. I can't believe I waited so long to make these cupcakes, because they are, in a word, amazing. Not that I mean to blow my own trumpet, but wow, I loved this recipe so much I made them two nights in a row! But don't worry, I didn't eat them all myself...

Anyway, I'll share the recipe, which is from the Next I <3 Cupcakes book, which someone bought for me as a gift. It's actually quite a nice little book. It says it makes 18 cupcakes, but if you ask me they'd have to be quite stingy cupcakes because I only made 14 in quite small cupcake cases.

Ready for the oven!

You may (or may not) know from reading my previous posts, I'm always a bit skeptical of 'all in the bowl and beat' recipes, probably because my mum taught me to bake a lot as a child in the old wooden spoon and fold in the flour method. But I was pleasantly surprised, because these cakes did actually rise very well, in spite of my cranky old oven. I suppose you do fold in the sour cream, so maybe that traps the air in!

But alas, another failed cupcake case, as these went horribly see-through.

Anyway, here's the recipe, let me know if anyone gives it a try!

For the cakes:

50g butter

115g soft dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

115g plain flour

1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

25g cocoa powder

125ml soured cream

• Preheat oven to 180⁰C and line a muffin tin with cases
• Sift flour, and beat sugar, margarine, eggs, flour, cocoa powder and bicarb of soda until just smooth
• Fold in sour cream with a large metal spoon.
• Bake for 15-20 mins until well risen and firm

For the icing:

125g plain chocolate

3 tbsp caster sugar (use more or less depending on how sweet you want the icing)

150ml soured cream

• Melt chocolate, and leave to cool slightly once fully melted, then whisk in sugar and soured cream until combined. Ice each cupcakes and decorate as desired!

The see-through case :(

But oh, the yummy, yummy chocolate!