The best Chocolate Cupcakes

I love baking.  I've posted a few times on here about recipes I've liked. I find I can never bake at the moment as I don't have enough people to eat it all! It is only your standard chocolate cupcake but they taste so good so thought I would share with you! I've always had a good response from them!

I found this recipe online so it's not like I made it up myself or anything! You will need the following:
(Makes 12 cupcakes) 
-150g butter 
-150g caster sugar
-175g self - raising flour 
-25g cocoa powder 
-3 eggs 

For the buttercream icing - 
-250g butter 
-500g icing sugar 
-Vanilla Extract
-Chocolate flake/chocolate chips/chocolate sprinkles (anything you want really!) 
I do half this icing recipe as 500g is a whole box of icing sugar and I find half is plenty and I still have some icing left over.

Onto making the cakes! First things first, pre heat your oven to gas mark 4 / 180 c / 350f and line your cupcake tin with cupcake cases.

 Next, beat the 3 eggs together in a small bowl.  

Then in a separate bowl cream together the butter and sugar and then add the flour and sift in the cocoa powder. Once this is all mixed together, slowly add the beaten eggs.   

It is easiest to use an electric whisk for this part but you can use a spoon if you don't have an electric whisk!  How easy is that?! Now just spoon the mixture evenly into the cases.

Put them in the oven for 15-20 minutes, I've found 20 minutes to be perfect but it all depends on your oven. You can check if they're cooked by putting a skewer in through the middle of the cupcake and it should come out clean.

Once they're done put them on a wire rack to cool and while you wait, you can start the icing! In a bowl put the butter in and then gradually sift in the icing sugar.  If you add it all at once, you will have a cloud of icing sugar when you try and stir it! Slowly mix together and add a couple of drops of vanilla extract.  Then use an electric whisk to whisk together to make the icing nice and fluffy.  If you find the icing to be too thick then add a bit of milk but I've never had to.

Once the cakes are completely cool, you can start icing! I like to pipe the icing but if you prefer you can always just spoon it on.  Once they're all iced, add your decorations.  I like to use crumbled flakes.  Absolute worst blogger ever, I forgot to take pictures of the finished ones!!! 

And there, your cakes are finished! They're so easy to make and taste amazing so I definitely recommend this recipe.

Let me know if you try this recipe :)