This recipe is the most used in my cookbook as it is so versatile. I use it for cupcakes, traybake and layered cakes! It’s my base for anything chocolatey, and if you know me, you know that’s my favourite.
If I don’t absolutely NEED to pipe icing on, I don’t. Why faff about with a piping bag and washing up a piping nozzle if I don’t have to?
This can be made with any tools in your arsenal, whether that be your tried and tested wooden spoon, hand mixer or stand mixer.
Ingredients:
For the cake
- 110ml Milk (semi-skimmed or whole)
- 3/4tbsp Lemon juice
- 55g Margarine (I like stork)
- 110g Caster sugar
- 1 Large egg
- 110g Plain flour
- 25g Cocoa powder
- 1tsp Bicarbonate of soda
For the topping
- 120g Dark chocolate
- 120ml Cream
- Sprinkles!!
Method:
For the cake
- Preheat the oven to 180 NO FAN and line a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin cases
- Add the milk and lemon juice to a mug and put to one side to curdle (this is basically buttermilk so if you ever find a recipe using buttermilk just add a tbsp or so of lemon juice)
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl
- Add the egg and mix to a smooth consistency
- Next add the flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda and do a rough mix in
- Slowly pour in the curdled milk mixture and mix to your final cake batter, ensuring to scrape down the sides of the bow to ensure it is all properly mixed together – this is an easy to handle car batter and it has a thin texture which is easy to scoop
- Spoon the mixture into the cake cases, I do about a dessert spoon in each
- Bake for 20 minutes on the bottom shelf with a baking tray on the top shelf – if you do a double mixture you don’t need the baking tray, swap the top and bottom shelf half way through for a perfect round dome
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool
For the ganache
- Melt chocolate in a glass bowl, either in the microwave at one minute intervals or in a Bain-marie on the hob
- Pour in the cream and mix t form a shiny chocolate mixture
- When the cupcakes have cooled, scoop a teaspoon of ganache onto each cupcake, then spread it with the back of the spoon
- Finally, top with your favourite sprinkles.
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