Lovers' Chocolate cupcakes

My boyfriend is a huge chocolate lover. I, however, am not the biggest chocolate fan. I know, I'm crazy, right? Don't get me wrong, I like it but just never been nuts over it, like, probably the rest of the world.... BUT it really must be true that chocolate gets those serotonin and endorphin levels high because I was in the BEST mood after eating one of these delights!


We don't really celebrate Valentine's day. So many things cost twice as much due to commercializing, when in actual fact ANY day can be a lover's day! :) Wouldn't you say?

I already had most ingredients to make these cupcakes, making it very easy for me to get in the spirit, so....Lover's cupcakes toady it is!

I based my recipe from my favourite cookery book, Good Housekeeping, with a couple tweaks of removing the cherries (I'm not a big fan), instead I just put a few dried cranberries on top. I also added some vanilla extract to the cake mix.
For the icing however, I used a very simple recipe from Green & Black's Chocolate Recipe book. Delicious!


(Makes 12 cupcakes)
3/4 cup (175g) butter, at room temperature
1 cup(175g) golden caster sugar
3 medium eggs
1 cup (125g) self raising flour, sifted
1/2 cup (50g) cocoa powder, sifted
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:
- Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper muffin cases
- Put the butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl and cream together until pale, light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, folding in 1 tbsp of the recipe's flour with the last egg if the mixture appears to begin curdling. Mix in vanilla extract
- Fold the remaining flour and cocoa powder into the mixture with a spatula or metal spoon, together with the milk, until everything combined
- Spoon into the cases and bake at gas mark 5 (375 F) for 15-20 min, until risen and springy to tough. Transfer to a wire rack to cool

ICING
100g dark chocolate, 60% cocoa (chopped)
50g unsalted butter (cubed)

- Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl suspended over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Remove from the heat, add the butter and stir until butter melts and the sauce has a consistency of thick pouring cream

- Place about a teaspoons amount of chocolate icing on top of each cupcake. Use the back of the teaspoon to spread the icing over each cupcake.
Place about 3 dried cranberries on top of each cupcake and allow to set (note: If refrigerated the icing will loose it's sheen)


In this image I used some icing which was leftover to pour over the cupcake for extra gooeyness and richness ;)

Aaah, what the heck! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!