Chocolate and Vanilla Sunflower Cupcakes
Light, Moist and super chocolatey. These sunflower cupcakes are as delicious as they are beautiful!
Ingredients
Sponge
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 45 g plain flour
- 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 50 g caster sugar
- 50 g light brown sugar
- 40 ml vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 60 ml buttermilk (you can make your own with 60ml whole milk and 1tsp of lemon juice)
Buttercream
- 80 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 165 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- yellow gel food colouring
- 3 bourbon biscuits
Instructions
- Firstly, pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas Mark 4 and line a muffin tin with 6 cupcake cases. If making your own buttermilk; mix the milk and lemon juice together in a jug or small bowl and set aside for 5-10 minutes until a little thickened.
- For the sponge: Whisk the cocoa powder, flour, bicarb, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl until combined, then set aside. In a large bowl whisk the egg, caster sugar, brown sugar, oil and vanilla together until completely smooth. The mixture will turn slightly paler in colour.
- Pour half of the dry ingredients into the wet, and then half of the buttermilk. Mix until combined. Then add the remaining dry ingredients and the buttermilk. Again, whisk until just combined – the batter will be a little thin and lumpy!
- Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases about two thirds full each and bake for 19-21 minutes. Once baked, put the cupcakes onto a wire rack to completely cool.
- For the buttercream: Place the butter and icing sugar into a large bowl and whisk together using an electric whisk. Start off slow and increase the speed steadily, until you have a light and fluffy buttercream. Add the vanilla and yellow gel food colouring and mix again until combined, and you have a bright yellow sunflower colour. Place 3/4 of the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with Wilton #70 tip.
- To decorate: Spread a thin layer of the remaining 1/4 buttercream onto the cooled cakes. Then pipe leaves onto the edges of each cupcake, holding the piping bag horizontally against the cupcake. Then hold the piping bag vertically and pipe leaves again in a circle, working your way into the centre of the cupcake. Until you have a small circular gap left in the middle.
- Place the bourbon biscuits into a small sandwich bag and seal, then beat with a rolling pin until the biscuits are crumbs. Divide the biscuit crumbs between each cupcake and fill the middle holes.
Notes
Cupcakes are best served same day, but can be kept in an air-tight container for 3-4 days.