Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients for the cakes

• 
  110g (4oz) butter or margarine
• 110g (4oz) caster sugar
• 2 medium size eggs
• 75g (3oz) self-raising flour, sieved
• 25g (1oz) cocoa powder, sieved
• Dr. Oetker Baking Cases

For the icing

• 1 x 325g tub Dr. Oetker EasyIce Chocolate Butter Icing

Or

• 75g (3oz) unsalted butter
• 175g (6oz) icing sugar
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• milk or warm water

To decorate

• sieved icing sugar

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4.  Place the Baking Cases into a cupcake tin.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Gradually beat in the eggs, if the mixture starts to curdle, add a little flour.
4. Fold in the remaining flour and the cocoa powder with a metal spoon.
5. Place spoonfuls of the mixture into the Baking Cases and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until well risen and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a cooling rack.
6. Take a sharp knife and cut a circle out of the top of each cake at an angle about 1cm (½ inch) from the edge.
7. Fill each cake with the EasyIce Chocolate Butter Icing and place the sponge circle on top of the icing.
8. Alternatively to make your own butter icing, place the butter in a bowl and beat until soft.
9. Gradually sift and beat in the icing sugar and then add enough milk / water to make the icing fluffy and spreadable.
10. Sift and beat the cocoa powder in to the icing and use as above.
11. Dust the top of each cake lightly with the sieved icing sugar.

Makes: approx. 16