Ingredients
- 125g/4½oz plain flour
- 25g/1oz cocoa powder
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 150g/5oz caster sugar
- 50g/2oz butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 free-range egg
- 8 tbsp milk
- For the cream cheese icing
- 50g/2oz cream cheese
- 25g/1oz butter, softened at room temperature
- 125g/4oz icing sugar, sifted
- ½ tsp vanilla essence
- For the chocolate icing
- 25g/1oz icing sugar
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
Preparation method
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line a muffin tray with 9 paper cases.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into a bowl. Add the sugar and butter and beat the mixture together until well combined.
- Whisk in the egg and milk until the mixture is thick and smooth.
- Divide the mixture between the paper case and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until springy to the touch and skewer inserted into the middle of one of the cakes comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a wire rack.
- For the cream cheese icing, beat the cream cheese and butter together in a bowl until well combined. Beat in the icing sugar and vanilla.
- Spoon the icing onto the cupcakes, leaving a small border around the edge.
- For the chocolate icing, sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons of water to form a smooth, thick icing.
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a fine nozzle. (Alternatively, spoon the mixture into the corner of a sandwich bag and snip off the corner, to form a small hole.)
- Carefully pipe 3 concentric circles onto each cupcake. Run a toothpick from the centre to the edge of the cake, through each circle of icing, at 2cm/1in intervals to create a cobweb effect.
- Set aside for 20 minutes to allow the icing to harden.
