Valentines Special- Recipe Of Red Rose Cupckaes

There's nothing more romantic then a bunch of red roses - so why not make these special rich chocolate cupcakes topped with romantic flowers to show someone you care this Valentine's Day?

Ingredients

110g butter
110g 48% dark chocolate
10g coffee granules
60g self raising flour
60g plain flour
10g cornflour
25g cocoa powder
⅓ tsp bicarbonate of soda
240g caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3½ tsp vegetable oil or olive oil (not virgin oil)
50ml buttermilk
80ml of water

For the icing:

110g butter
400g icing sugar
2 tbls milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp poppy red colouring
½ tsp ruby red colouring

For the leaves:

50g flower paste
Green colouring
1 small rose leaf cutter

You will also need:

Muffin trays
12 cases
Wilton 1B tip
Large piping bag
Household sponge

Method

* To make the leaves

- Colour the flower paste with the holly-green colouring. Roll thinly, 1/8th of an inch thick, cut 12 leaves and place on a sponge to dry.

* To make the cakes

- Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F/Gas Mark 3 and line a 12-hole muffin tray with cupcake cases.

- Place butter, chopped chocolate, coffee granules and water in a large bowl over a pan of boiling water, stir gently until melted then remove from the heat and allow to cool.

- Sift the flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre. Add the beaten eggs, oil and buttermilk and the chocolate mixture, stirring with a large spoon until completely combined.

- Fill cupcake cases to 2/3 full and bake for 30 minutes. Remove and cool in the tins for 10 minutes before cooling on a wire rack ready for icing.

* To make the icing

- Add butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl, then beat for about 5 minutes with an electric whisk until smooth. Add the red colouring and beat again. Pour the milk gradually, if you need to loosen the mixture.

- Pipe roses onto your cakes