I love cupcakes. The perfect serving size, the perfect amount of icing & the prospect of silly decorations. I restrained myself here with pink sprinkles. I sometimes find it a bit of a challenge to make nice moist cupcakes – this particular batch was a little dry but I’m fairly sure that’s because I mis-measured the butter. Oops.

ingredients:

180g butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup choc bits (either white, dark or a mixture of both)

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line your muffin pans if you must, but I usually don’t bother until right before I’m putting them into the oven. I want to get onto the fun mixing bit.

Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together in a bowl, either with electric beaters or laboriously with a spoon. Add the eggs, beating away until it’s all combined.

Sift in the flour and baking powder over the mixture, sprinkle over the choc bits and gently fold it all in to combine. Try not to overmix, this will keep the cupcakes fluffy and divine. Spoon out the mixture into the muffin pan, and pop the tray into the oven for about 30 minutes.

I used the quick vanilla buttercream icing recipe from Baking Bites – that recipe makes more than enough for 24 cupcakes, and the above recipe only makes 12, so double or halve away as you see fit.