Choc peppermint swirl cupcakes recipe.
Cupcakes
100g dark chocolate
1 cup water
125g room temperature butter, chopped
1 ¼ cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ cups self-raising flour
½ cup plain flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
Icing
300g room temperature butter, chopped
5 cups icing sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 ½ tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon peppermint essence
Now, time to get baking
Preheat the oven to 160℃, and line your muffin trays with 24 cupcake cases. Over low heat, stir the chocolate and water until the chocolate has melted and combined with the water. Remove and set aside to cool.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter with brown sugar, until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well in between each egg until just combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Mix in the melted chocolate mixture.
Spoon mixture evenly among the 24 cases prepared earlier. Bake for approx. 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, leaving in the tray to cool for a minute before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
On to making the icing Using an electric mixer, beat butter until pale and creamy. Gradually add in the icing sugar, about ½ cup at a time until all mixed together (You may want to add in a drop of milk at this point to ensure it stays soft enough to pipe!) Put half the icing mixture in a separate bowl and add peppermint essence and stir through. Add cocoa powder to the other half of the mixture and add more milk if needed. Use the electric beaters to ensure it’s mixed through evenly.
Once your cupcakes have completely cooled, it’s time to decorate! Grab a piping bag and spoon both of the mixtures in, keeping them to separate sides (one on either side of the line in the picture example). Use either a star or large circle nozzle (or chop the end off the bag and just use that!), pipe in a spiral pattern, outside in. Once completed, top it off with an optional gummy mint leaf or mint chocolate bits!