Black forest cupcakes recipe

• 150 g (5.3oz) Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
• 250 g (8.8oz) Butter (200g for cake and 50g for buttercream)
• 4 Medium eggs
• 80 ml (2.8fl oz) Semi-skimmed milk (50ml for cake and 30ml for buttercream)
• 150 g (5.3oz) White self raising flour
• 50 g (1.8oz) Cocoa powder
• 50 g (1.8oz) Melted dark chocolate
• 125 g (4.4oz) Icing sugar
• 50 g (1.8oz) Cherry jam/compote
• 25 ml (0.9fl oz) Kirsch or cherry brandy
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

1. Pre-heat oven to 180oC, Gas Mark 4.
2. Beat the caster sugar and 200g of the butter in a food mixer on high speed using the beater attachment for 5 minutes.
3. Slowly beat the eggs, one at a time, and then 50ml milk.
4. Add the flour, cocoa powder, melted chocolate and mix thoroughly.
5. Spoon the mixture into cupcake moulds and bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 20 minutes until the tops of the cakes are even in colour and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
6. Allow the cakes to cool on a wire tray.
7. Soften the rest of the butter in a bowl in an 850w microwave on high for 10 seconds, transfer to a food mixer and beat on high speed for 1 minute.
8. Slowly mix in the icing sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is smooth.
9. Add the rest of the milk & keep on whisking until light & creamy.
10. At this point remove half and stir in the cherry jam, and with the other half stir in the kirsch and Vanilla Extract.
11. Marble together in a bowl.
12. When the cakes are cool, using a piping bag with a star nozzle - pipe the marbled buttercream in the traditional way
13. Sprinkle with shaved chocolate (you can create this effect but using a potato peeler on the side of a chocolate bar) and a dust of icing sugar.

sugar, butter, eggs, milk, white self raising flour, cocoa, chocolate, icing sugar, compote, vanilla

Taken from www.lovefood.com/guide/recipes/13902/will-torrents-black-forest-cupcakes (may not work)