Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

Happy 12th Birthday Cup Cake Carousel

These are pretty special little cupcakes made all that

more exciting by the frosting and decorations...

It's a special girls birthday so a once a year splurge is acceptable...

"Happy 12th Birthday Tiarna"

·         Preheat the oven to 180 and pop your patty pans into a cupcake tin for extra support... or I have found if you use the silver paper patty pans they will stay upright much better than the paper ones do. If you only have paper perhaps a couple instead of one.
·         In a bowl sift together to aerate 1 and 1/2 cups of self raising flour, 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda and a pinch of salt... set aside.
·         In a another large bowl with an electric mixer beat 125 grams of room temperature butter for a couple of minutes until creamy.
·         Continue beating for a few more minutes while gradually adding 1 and 1/3 cups of caster sugar...scrape the sides down every now and then.
·         Next beat in a teaspoon of vanilla extract... and 2 eggs one at a time to make sure they combine properly...keep scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go.
·         Next finish by combining the flour into the butter sugar mix...flour first in four batches, alternating with a cup of room temperature milk in three additions... ending with flour.
·         Divide the batter into the patty pans... this is quite a large batch of mix and I achieved 14 large and 14 small.
·         Bake in the preheated 180 oven for about 15-20 minutes... test with a toothpick... moist but clean... when cooked cool patty pans in the trays for a few minutes and then transfer the cakes to wire trays for complete cooling.

...and now for the pink frosting...

• To decorate use a piping bag, large nozzle and heaps of fancy sprinkles decorate as you desire... top with a birthday candle and "make a wish come true".
• In a large bowl and using an electric mixer beat for a couple of minutes 125 grams of room temperature butter until it is creamy.
• Gradually add 1 cup of icing sugar while continuing to beat for a couple more minutes until light and fluffy.
• Add 1 more cup of icing sugar and about half of 1/4 cup of room temperature milk, continuing to beat well and scraping down the sides of the bowl.
• Add 1 more cup of icing sugar and the remaining milk and beat well.
• Add the the final 1 cup of icing sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and beat for about 5 minutes until light and creamy... if too soft add a touch more icing sugar... the more you continue to beat it the lighter, airier and creamier it will become. This mixture can be stored, bring back to room temperature and rebeat when ready to use.

To decorate use a piping bag, a large nozzle and heaps of fancy sprinkles... now get creative and

"Make a Wish Come True"