Chocolate 'Hot Cross Bun' Cupcakes

Not everyone likes hot cross buns, yet it's something that screams Easter! These cute cupcakes are an alternative to the standard Hot Cross Buns. This recipe can be easily adapted for other seasons, simply change the design of the icing. This recipe is reprinted with permission from our friends at Chelsea.

Ingredients

100g butter, softened

¾ cup packed Chelseasoft brown sugar

2 large eggs, beaten 

1 cup plain flour

½ tsp baking soda

¼ cup cocoa

½ cup sour cream

¾ cup Chelseaicing sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp milk

Drinking chocolate to sprinkle on top

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190° conventional (170°C fan forced). In a large electric mixing bowl, beat together the butter brown sugar and eggs for 2-3 minutes until creamy. 

2. Sift in the flour, baking soda and cocoa and add the sour cream then beatfor 2-3 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Spoon the mixture into a 12-hole muffin pan lined with cupcake cases or directly into self-standing cupcake cases.

3. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cupcakes are puffed and spongy to the touch or a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven 

and set aside to cool.

4. Sift icing sugar into a bowl. Add lemon juice and just enough milk to make a thick, pipe-able icing. Use a piping bag or drizzle from a spoon to draw a cross on each muffin, set aside for icing to harden slightly. Sprinkle with drinking chocolate and serve.