cupcakes for lunch

I feel like all I've done this week is reflect on the party and embrace sweaty yoga. Post-yoga, an overcast Saturday morning saw my flatmate Harriet and I get some quality time in the kitchen in preparation for a friend's ladies' lunch. Harriet doesn't think she can cook, but this weekend she not only created the most beautiful cupcakes imaginable, she also mastered the now infamous scrambled eggs. Last night at the pub someone asked what my signature dish was, and  when my friend said 'scrambled eggs' I was a bit embarrassed, so I quickly said, 'probably steak, with awesome vegetables?' Which is also not really true. I don't have a signature dish, but I like whipping up something awesome from what appears to be not much in terms of ingredients. Anyway!

I've talked before about how cupcakes don't generally do it for me, especially since they seem to be bloody everywhere. And because so often they're just gross boring little cakes with fancy icing. These cupcakes though are the perfect mix of sweet and salty with the cream cheese and the dark chocolate, and are a delicious bite sized treat.

Harriet's pinkalicious chocolate cream-cheese Cupcakes (adapted from Edmond's basic cupcake recipe. Also, apologies for the word 'pinkalicious' in the name - it's the name of the pink sprinkles, honest!)


125g butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 cup plain flour - minus 2 tbsp
2 tbsp cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk
50g dark chocolate, cut into chunks
100g cream cheese

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla well. Having the butter soft makes a real difference. And I know I've harped on about it before, but your baked goods will be all the more soft, light and fluffy if you cream the butter and sugar extremely well. Be patient and persevere!

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa together. Fold into the creamed mixture and stir in the milk and the chocolate chips.

Place 24 mini patty cases in mini muffin pans. Using a teaspoon, place a small spoonful of mixture into each one; just under half full. Place a small dollop of cream cheese into the centre of each one. Then cover with another spoon of mixture so that the patty cases are just under full.

Bake at 190*C for 15 minutes, or until cakes spring back when lightly touched. Allow to cool on a wire rack before icing.

To make the chocolate icing, sift one heaped cup of icing sugar into a bowl with a tablespoon of cocoa. Add a small knob of butter and a tablespoon of boiling water. Stir to get a good spreadable icing consistency, adding more water if required. Ice each cupcake with a knife, and add pink sprinkles should your heart desire them.

The word moreish comes to mind  - I managed to demolish one pre-icing, one during icing, one finished product pre-lunch and then about four at the lunch itself. That was after Harriet declared we should lick the bowl so clean we don't need to wash it. You've been warned.