Valentine's day cupcakes

Ingredients

• 200 g caster sugar
• 175 g flour
• 50 g cocoa powder
• 7.5 ml baking powder
• 2.5 ml salt
• 1 egg
• 125 ml milk
• 75 ml melted butter
• 5 ml vanilla extract
• 125 ml hot water

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting:

• 100 g butter/baking margarine, room temperature
• 400 g icing sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 5 ml strawberry flavouring
• 2 drops pink gel food colour

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Preparation

• Pre-heat the oven to 180°c. Line a muffin-tray with cupcake cases. Combine all the dry ingredients together and mix well.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter and vanilla.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and beat for 2 minutes until well combined. Slowly add the hot water and mix through.
• The batter will be very runny, so don’t be alarmed. Pour the batter into the cupcake cases and place into the oven.
  
• Bake the cupcakes for 15-18 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tray. Remove them from the tray and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Decorate with Strawberry Buttercream frosting.
• Strawberry Buttercream Frosting:
  Beat the butter until pale and fluffy. Sift in the icing sugar and beat until the mixture comes together in a ball. Add the milk, flavouring and colour and beat for another minute. To create the ‘ripple’ effect, streak the inside of the piping bag with some red/pink gel food colouring . Fill with the buttercream and pipe onto the cooled cupcakes.