Ultimate Basic Chocolate Cupcakes

I've lost count of the number of years I've used this recipe as it never fails me! It's actually a Mary Berry recipe which I've changed ever so slightly. The original uses water but I've always used milk as I prefer it. So here's the recipe for the perfect chocolate cupcakes...

Makes: 14 Cupcakes 

Time: Roughly 25 -30 Minutes

Ingredients 

• 4tbsp - Milk
• 40g or 1oz  - Cocoa Powder
• 3 - Free Range Large Eggs
• 175g or 6oz - Unsalted Butter (softened)
• 165g or 6oz - Caster Sugar
• 115g or 4oz - Self Raising White Flour 
• 1tsp - Baking Powder

Method

 

1. Pre-heat oven to Gas Mark 6.
2. Sift cocoa powder into a bowl.
3. Heat the milk gently in a pan until its warmed through. Be careful not to fully boil it!
4. Add the milk to the cocoa powder and mix until you get a smooth thick paste. Tip: If the mixture hasn't quite come together just heat through a little more milk and add to the mixture.
5. Add all the other ingredients and mix together. It's best to use an electric hand whisk for this. Tip: Once mixed I often give it a quick stir (scrapping the sides of the bowl) with a spatula to make sure there's no cocoa paste stuck to the bottom of the bowl. If necessary give the mixture a quick 10 second electric whisk to make sure everything is combined.
6. Place cupcake cases into a cupcake tin and divide the mixture evenly. I usually make around 14 cakes from this mixture. 
7. Place in the center of the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until well risen and spongy to the touch. Tip: to be sure they are cooked use a skewer in the middle of the cupcake and it should come out clean. 
8. Leave to cool before adding any icing or decorations.

And that's it. Enjoy!