Chocolate Pine-Cone Cupcakes
Serves 12, Ready in 1 hour 25 minutes
Vegetarian
Make these chocolate pine-cone cupcakes for Christmas, for an easy but festive sweet treat
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 150g Co-op unsalted butter, softened
- 150g Fairtrade caster sugar
- 2 Co-op British free-range eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 150g Co-op self-raising white flour
- 70g Co-op Irresistible Fairtrade
- 70% cocoa dark chocolate, melted
For the icing:
- 175g Co-op unsalted butter, softened
- 350g Fairtrade icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
- 50g Co-op Irresistible Fairtrade 70% cocoa dark chocolate, melted
- 150g milk chocolate buttons
- 1 tbsp festive cake sprinkles (we used red, white and green)
- You’ll need 12 cupcake cases
Method
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4
- Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with paper cases
- Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy
- Add the eggs, vanilla, and 2 tbsp of the flour
- Beat until combined, then mix in the remaining flour, along with the melted chocolate
- Divide between the cases and bake for 20-25 mins, until risen
- Leave to cool fully on a wire rack
For the icing:
- Beat the butter until smooth, then add the icing sugar, a little at a time, mixing until smooth
- Stir in the chocolate
- Spoon into a piping bag and pipe onto each cake in a pointed swirl
- Then press in the chocolate buttons to look like pine cones
- Decorate with the sprinkles and dust with a little icing sugar to serve