Chocolate Mud Cupcake with Buttercream



Ingredients

100g dark chocolate couverture
80g water
130g butter (SCS brand)
20g cocoa powder
120g cake flour
1/4 tsp bicarbonate soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
200g castor sugar
2 eggs (60g ea)
50g buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 170/180 deg. C (I used 160 deg C, it's depend on your oven)
2. Line muffin tins with cupcake papers.
3. In a pot, on a slow heat add butter, chocolate & water.  Keep stirring till butter & chocolate melt.  Remove heat & let it cool.
4. In an electric mixer with the paddle, sift all the dry ingredients & add sugar.  Mix the ingredient on slow speed to combine together.
5. In another bowl, mix buttermilk, eggs & vanilla.  Lightly mix the mixture & add into the dry ingredients to combine.  Still on slow speed, add melted chocolate & beat the mixture into smooth batter.
6. Using rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients blended.
7. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full.  (I weight 35g ea - small cupcake liner or 50g ea standard cupcake liner) Bake for 25 mins or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clena.
8. Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 mins.  Remove from the tins & cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Vanilla ButterCream
226g unsalted butter (SCS brand) ~ room temperature
460g icing sugar ~ sifted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp milk (I used 1-1/2 tbsp heavy cream as I don't have milk)
Assorted food color ~ if desired

Directions:

1. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter & scrape down the sides.  Add the vanilla & 1 cup of sugar & beat well blended.
2. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Add the milk/heavy cream & beat to combine.
3. Then on high speed, beat frosting until it is light & fluffy (abt 5 mins).