Jubilee Cupcakes

Jubilee Cupcakes
Chocolate cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream

The cupcakes are made from my favourite Chocolate Cupcake recipe which produces 16 very moist cupcakes.
Preheat Oven 170  °C/ 375 °F / Gas Mark 5


115g Good quality dark Chocolate
85g Unsalted Butter at Room temperature
2 large Eggs at Room temperature, Separated
175g Soft brown sugar
185g Plain Flour, Sifted
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
3/4 Teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
Pinch of salt
250ml Semi skimmed milk at Room temperature
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste.

• Break the chocolate into pieces & melt, leave to cool
• In a large bowl cream together the butter & sugar until the mixture is pale & smooth, which should take approx 4 minutes.
• In a separate bowl and with clean beaters beat the egg yolks for a couple of minutes.
• Add the egg yolks slowly to the creamed butter mixture and beat well.
• Next add the cooled melted chocolate to the mixture & beat well.
• In a separate bowl combine the flour, Baking Powder, Bicarbonate of Soda & salt.
• Put the milk into a jug and add the vanilla Bean paste.
• Add 1/3 of the flour mix to the chocolate mixture and beat well, pour in 1/3 of the milk and beat well, repeating until all of the ingredients are mixed well together.
• In a clean bowl bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks, carefully fold into the batter using a metal spoon taking care not to beat the air out of the light mixture.
• using an ice cream scoop fill the cupcake cases 2/3rd's full
• Bang the tray firmly once on the worktop to ensure there are no large air pockets in the cakes & then place in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes
• Do not open the oven until the timer sounds, check the cupcakes by inserting a cocktail stick into the centre of the cakes, if the stick comes out clean the cakes are ready, any moisture or stickiness on the cocktail stick and the cakes need returning to the oven.
• Cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then place on a wire cooling rack until completely cool.

White Chocolate Buttercream

175g White Chocolate

22g Unsalted Butter at room temperature

1 tablespoon Semi skimmed Milk

1 teaspoon vanilla bean Paste

250g Sieved icing Sugar

• Break the chocolate into pieces & melt, leave to cool
• In a large mixing bowl beat the butter, milk, vanilla together, slowly add the sieved icing sugar and beat until thick and creamy.
• Add the cooled melted chocolate and continue beating until you achieve the thickness for icing cupcakes, this should be stiff & spreadable.

If you are colouring icing i would suggest you use colouring paste added to the mixture with a cocktail stick, less is more, you don't want bright lurid coloured cupcakes.