Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes - 2 Ways!

I found this chocolate cupcake recipe while looking at Salted Caramel Cupcakes. They are so delicious and moist! I made a batch of 24 (doubled the recipe below) and iced half of them with a Salted Caramel Icing and the other half with a Peppermint icing - DELISH!

Chocolate Cupcakes:

1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder

1 Cup Boiling water

1 1/3 Cup All Purpose Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon Salt

125g Butter

2 Large Eggs

2 tsp Vanilla Essence

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius and line muffin tins. OR as I did - cook in a cupcake baker! I love mine and they cook the cupcakes perfectly!!

In a small bowl, stir together cocoa powder and boiling water until smooth. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder & salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and mix until all incorporated. Stir in the vanilla.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until just combined. Add cooled cocoa mixture and mix until incorporated.

Spoon into muffin cases and bake for around 18-20 minutes.

Caramel Buttercream:

225g Butter

2tsp Vanilla Essence

1tsp Salt

1/3 Caramel sauce

3 cups Icing Sugar.

Beat the butter until smooth then add the vanilla, salt and caramel. Beat until combined. Add icing sugar until desired texture is formed. Pipe or spread onto cupcakes and then drizzle with some extra caramel sauce.

Peppermint Icing:

25g Butter

Cold Water

Peppermint Essence

Icing Sugar

Yellow & Blue Food Colouring

Melt the butter completely and add to it the peppermint essence and icing sugar. Still until the butter has been mixed in then add the water until the desired consistency is achieved. I don't use a set amount of icing sugar it just depends how much I am making which is why I add the water last. Add the food colouring to make it a Pepperminty green :)