Chocolate button cupcakes recipe

A dark chocolate sponge and rich dark chocolate buttercream make these chocolate button cupcakes irresistible.

Make these delicious chocolate button cupcakes with chocolate and infuse with coffee granules. The coffee granules add a warming flavour to the sponge. Follow our simple step-by-step guide to create your own chocolate button using dark chocolate and a button mold.

Ingredients

• 110g butter
• 110g dark chocolate
• 10g coffee granules
• 60g self-raising flour
• 60g plain flour
• 10g cornflour
• 25g cocoa powder
• 1/4tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 240g caster sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tsp vegetable oil
• 50ml buttermilk
• 80ml water, room temperature

For the 'chocolate buttons':

• 100g dark chocolate

For the buttercream:

• 200g dark chocolate
• 250g unsalted butter, diced and at room temperature
• 280g icing sugar
• 3 tsp vanilla extract

You will also need:

• Piping bag
• Open star-shaped piping nozzle (for best results use aWilton 1M nozzle)
• Chocolate button mold

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F/Gas Mark 3 and line a 12-hole muffin tray with cupcake cases.
2. Place butter, chopped chocolate, coffee granules, and 80ml of water in a large bowl over a pan of boiling water, stir gently until melted then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
3. Sift the flour, cocoa, and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the center. Add the beaten eggs, oil and buttermilk, and the chocolate mixture, stirring with a large spoon until completely combined.
4. Fill cupcake cases to 2/3 full and bake for 30 minutes. While the cakes are cooling, break up 100g dark chocolate and melt in the microwave on 30 seconds bursts until smooth.
5. Pour the melted chocolate into the button molds and leave it in the fridge to set for 30 minutes.
6. For the icing: Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave on 30 second bursts until smooth. Beat the icing sugar, butter, vanilla extract and cooled chocolate together with an electric mixer until the buttercream is smooth and shiny.
7. When the cakes are cool, attach the nozzle to a large piping bag. Place the bag in a tall glass (pint or tall picnic glasses work well). Pull the bag down around the glass and fill the bag 2/3 full by pushing the buttercream down into the bag as you fill.
8. Lift the bag up from around the glass and, from where the buttercream stops, push all the air up out of the bag. Twist the bag right at the top of the buttercream and hold the twist between your thumb and forefinger.
9. Pipe a swirl by applying pressure to the top of the bag and starting in the middle of each cake, pipe a star by squeezing a star shape then releasing the pressure and pulling up quickly.
10. Piping a star first makes sure the swirl doesn’t fall flat in the middle. Then starting at the outside edge of the paper case, pipe in a steady movement around the edge of the cake using the edge of the cake case as a guide.
11. Pipe around the star and build up into a swirl. When you reach the end of the swirl press down slightly, release the pressure and pull up quickly.
12. After you have iced each cupcake, twist the bag again so the twist is always at the top of the buttercream. Decorate with the chocolate buttons.

Top tips for making chocolate button cupcakes

Swap the chocolate buttons for Cadbury’s chocolate buttons instead, if you don’t have time to make your own from scratch.

You could also try making chocolate buttons without a mold using our chocolate buttons recipe.

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Classic chocolate cupcake recipe

Easy cupcake recipe

Mary Berry’s chocolate cake recipe