Simple Chocolate Cupcakes

You simply cannot go wrong with a recipe like this one!

Ingredients:
110g butter, softened
110g caster sugar
2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
85g self-raising flour
25g cocoa powder
1-2 tbsp milk

For the buttercream icing;
140g butter, softened
280g/10oz icing sugar
Cocoa powder
Milk chocolate stars to decorate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale. Beat in the eggs a little at a time and stir in the vanilla extract.
3. Fold in the flour and cocoa using a large metal spoon, adding a little milk until the mixture is of a dropping consistency.

4. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until they are half full.

5. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into one of the cakes comes out clean. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
6. For the buttercream icing, beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add half the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
7. Add in the cocoa powder. 

8. Add the remaining icing sugar, and mix until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

9. Pipe the icing onto the cakes, starting in the middle and rotate the cake slowly as the icing constantly pipes out. 

11. Decorate the tops of the cakes with the milk chocolate stars, or other decorations if you wish.
12. Indulge and enjoy!

Sugar-free Weight Watcher Blueberry Muffins

This is an adaptation to the Weight Watcher Blueberry Muffin recipe I had posted a while back, where I have substituted the sugar for sweetener. My sister, who was going sugar-free, developed appendicitis over the Easter Weekend and while she was in hospital I baked these for her to eat when her appetite returned. I tried a couple as well and they really were yummy!

Ingredients:

200 g Plain White Flour  

1/2 teaspoons (level) Bicarbonate of Soda  

2 teaspoons (level) Baking Powder  

75 g Splenda sweetener  

1 pinch Salt  

75 g Margarine, Soft, Polyunsaturated, melted  

100 g Low Fat Natural Yogurt  

100 ml Skimmed Milk  

1 medium egg

200 g Blueberries, fresh or dried  

Method:

1.       Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6/200°C/400°F. Line a Yorkshire pudding tin or muffin tray with 12 muffin or cup cake cases.

2.       Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl mix the melted margarine, yogurt, milk and egg together.

3.       Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine very gently so you don't over-work the mixture.

4.       Gently stir in the blueberries, again keeping the mixing to a minimum, then quickly spoon into the muffin cases. Bake for 20 minutes, until risen and golden on top.

5.       Transfer to a wire rack and cool or eat warm.

Recipe adapted from http://www.weightwatchers.co.uk/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeId=7007752