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...short break from the city buzz for some peace and quiet underwater ;)

The new office is not so bad after all... :)

First attempt to bake this in the new oven :)

SELAMAT HARI RAYA, MAAF ZAHIR BATIN...

Sincerely,
Naz

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Recipe source: Taste.com.au

Preparation Time:
25 minutes

Cooking Time:
20 minutes

Makes:
24-30 (depending on size of papercups)

Ingredients:

FOR THE CUPCAKES
250g plain flour
2 x 15ml tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g soft unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
1 x heaped 15ml tbsp Christmas-red paste food colouring
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
175ml buttermilk
1 tsp cider vinegar or other vinegar
2 x 12-bun muffin tins

BUTTERY CREAM CHEESE ICING
500g icing sugar (no need to sift if using a processor)
125g cream cheese
125g soft unsalted butter
1 tsp cider vinegar or lemon juice
Chocolate sprinkles and red sugar, for decoration (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C and line the muffin tins with paper cases. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarb in a bowl. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar, beating well, and when you have a soft, pale mixture beat in the food colouring and the vanilla.

Into this vividly coloured mixture, still beating, add 1 spoonful of the dried ingredients, then 1 egg, followed by some more dried ingredients, then the other egg, followed by the rest of the dried ingredients.

Finally, beat in the buttermilk and vinegar and divide this extraordinary batter between the 24 cases.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, by which time the redcurrant-sorbet-coloured batter will have morphed into a more sombre, but still juicily tinted, sponge.

Leave them to cool on a wire rack and do not ice with the frosting until absolutely cold.

To make the buttery cream-cheese frosting:
You can use all butter rather than half-butter and half-cream cheese for this icing. Equally, decorate as pleases you, too. I like to use red sugar (sometimes called red sanding sugar) to hint at their deeply toned interiors, and some dark chocolate in a vain attempt at something a little more elegant. For the children, instead, shake on chocolate-flavoured sprinkles.

Put the icing sugar into a processor and whiz to remove lumps. Add the cream cheese and butter and process.

Pour in the cider vinegar (or lemon juice) and process again to make a smooth icing.

Ice each cupcake, using a teaspoon or small spatula.

Decorate with chocolate sprinkles and red sugar, or as desired.