Chocolate brownie cupcakes

When someone in the family is feeling under the weather we like to cheer them up with some home baking.  Daniel’s father has just returned from a spell in hospital, where he was missing a good strong cup of tea and the comfort of homemade cake.  He is well-known for his sweet tooth, so these luxurious, chocolatey cupcakes are the ideal treat to welcome him home!

Ingredients:

75g dark chocolate, chopped

75g butter

1 egg

75g caster sugar

25g self-raising flour

50g macadamia nuts, pecan nuts or walnut, coarsely chopped

Topping:

100g dark chocolate

100ml double cream

1 tablespoon of a liqueur or syrup

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180⁰C (350⁰F) Gas 4, then line the muffin tins with cupcake cases.

Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, stirring until melted. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

When the mixture has cooled, beat in the egg, then stir in the sugar. Sift the flour into the mixture and fold in, then stir in the nuts. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases and bake for about 17 minutes until the top is firm to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To decorate, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan until almost boiling, then pour over the chocolate and leave to stand for five minutes. Stir until smooth and creamy, then stir in the syrup or liqueur and leave to cool for about an hour, until thick and glossy. Spread the frosting over the cakes and top with a strawberry, raspberry or yet more chocolate!

Source: Cupcakes by Susannah Blake - Buy here