Hot Chocolate Cupcakes... A winter treat

I was sitting on the couch with my hot chocolate in hand, piled with marshmallows of course, thinking about what I could make for dessert. The delicious cocoa smell wafted up and caused an epiphany. Yes!!! Hot Chocolate in a cake. Hot Chocolate Cupcakes!!!!! Genius.

And boy oh boy... Did it work. They were by far the best creation yet! I can't wait to make them again... and again...

The recipe does call for Marshmallow Creme or Fluff.. whichever you choose to call it, which I picked up from the USA Foods Store. You can order it online. Worst case, you can make it yourself from scratch. Here's my Marshmallow Fluff Recipe.

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes approx 18

1 cup Plain Flour
45g Cocoa Powder
1/2 teaspoon Bi-Carb Soda
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Table Salt
120g Butter
1 cup Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Egg Yolk
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Boiling Water
1 + 1/2 cups Marshmallow Creme/Fluff

icing:
2 cups Thickened Cream
1 cup Icing Sugar
3 x Flake Bars

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line cupcake trays with liners

2. Sift together the flour, cocoa, bi-carb soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

3. In a mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs and the yolk one at a time until well incorporated. Add the vanilla.

4. Continuing on a low speed, add the flour mixture, half at a time, then once mixed; slowly add the boiling water until it creates a smooth cake batter.

5. Spoon into liners, approx 1/3 high. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out with only slight crumbs attached.

6. Leave to cool completely in the tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

7. When completely cooled, cut a hole in the centre of each cake and pipe a generous amount of marshmallow creme into the middle.

8. For the icing; beat together the cream and icing sugar until the cream thickens. The icing is ready once it sticks to the beater when lifted.

9. Top the cupcakes with a generous amount of the cream icing then crush the flakes and sprinkle over each cake.

Enjoy and Happy Baking!!!