Fearne Cotton
Chocolate cupcakes with a buttercream topping

Ingredients

  • 150g butter
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 175g self-raising flour
  • 25g cocoa powder
  • 3 eggs

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC / 350ºF / Gas mark 4.
  2. Lay out 12 cupcake cases on a baking tray.
  3. Beat the eggs with a fork in a separate bowl.
  4. Using an electric mixer, mix the butter, sugar, flour & cocoa powder in a bowl, adding the beaten eggs slowly into the bowl as you are mixing.
  5. Using a large spoon place equal amounts of mixture into the 12 cupcake cases.
  6. Put the cupcakes into the oven (near the top) & bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Check on them after 15 minutes & they should be firm to touch (or you can test by popping a skewer into the middle of the cupcake & it should come out clean), if not leave them in for a further 5 minutes.
  7. Remove from the oven & leave to cool. Once cooled, add the buttercream!

Ingredients for the buttercream topping

  • 250g butter
  • 500g icing sugar (sifted)
  • 2 drops of vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp. of milk
  • 12 raspberries
  • Chocolate flakes (or chocolate chips)

Instructions

  1. Place the butter into a bowl & stir in the icing sugar & vanilla extract using a wooden spoon then whisk (again using an electric mixer) until fluffy & lighter in colour. Add 2 tsp. of milk and whisk again. If the mixture is still too stiff add a little more milk.
  2. Put the buttercream mixture into a piping bag with a large star nozzle & then squeeze plenty of Buttercream onto each cupcake (make sure the cupcakes are cool first).
  3. Sprinkle chocolate flakes or chocolate chips over the top of the Buttercream & finally add a raspberry to the top.

Celebrity Bake Book is a charity initiative proudly supported by Food Network UK (Freeview 48 and Sky 262/263) The book features recipes from a host of celebrities and chefs and is on sale from 6th September, with all funds going towards the Ben Kinsella Trust. Buy the book at www.foodnetwork.co.uk or follow @foodnetwork_UK for more information.


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