How to make Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

You will need:

For the Cupcakes:

175g Self Raising Flour

175g Caster Sugar

175g Margarine

3 Eggs

2 tbsp Cocoa Powder

1 tsp Milk

For the buttercream:

200g icing sugar

90g Unsalted butter

2 tbsp Cocoa Powder

3 tbsp Milk

Method:

1. For the cupcakes; firstly in a bowl, cream together your margarine and sugar.

2. Then add your eggs and milk, then mix well.

3. Then add the flour and cocoa powder and mix until well combined.

4. Then divide your mixture between 12 cupcake cases, and bake in a pre-heated oven at Gas Mark 5, 190C or 170C fan assisted for 16 to 18 mins.

5. For the buttercream; butter to icing sugar and push the butter into the icing sugar using a fork. This should help keep the icing dust down. Make sure the butter is at room temperature.

6. Then add the cocoa powder and mix in. Then continue to mash the butter into the icing sugar.

7. Once the butter and icing sugar are as mixed as they can be, add the liquid you are using a bit at a time until it is a smooth buttercream. If you add too much liquid, add more icing sugar to bring it back.

8. Then spread the buttercream over the cupcakes, I used a piping bag with a piping tip. You can just use a knife to spread on.

9. As an optional, you can sprinkle chocolate sprinkles over the top of each cupcake.