Easter Hunt Cupcakes

Easter Hunt Cupcakes

You can top these cupcakes with a chocolate ganache icing or leave them plain – I prefer plain as they are sweet and gooey with the melted Easter egg on the inside.

200g butter, room temperature
200g sugar
200g flour
83ml cocoa powder, sifted
7,5ml baking powder
1,2ml bicarbonate of soda
2,5ml salt
150ml sour cream
2 eggs, lightly beaten
7,5ml vanilla
12 small, filled chocolate eggs

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cups.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Cream together on high speed, scrape down the bowl and mix again on high speed.
Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
Mix on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated.
Remove the mixing bowl from the mixer and add the sour cream, eggs and vanilla.
Stir through by hand until just incorporated.
Divide the batter between the 12 paper cups and insert a filled chocolate egg in each.
Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Filled Eggs

Chocolate Filled Eggs

160g Orange flavoured De Villiers Chocolate
160g cream
12 De Villiers Chocolate hollow easter eggs

Chop the chocolate finely and add it to a mixing bowl.
Pour the cream into a small saucepan and allow it to warm up – it should be hot when you stick your finger in it but it should not boil.
Pour the warm cream on the chopped chocolate and stir until all the chocolate has melted.
Set the bowl somewhere in your kitchen and stir every time you walk past.
The ganache will take about 40 minutes to come to piping consistency, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
In the meantime, slice the top off the Easter eggs.
I warm the bottoms of the eggs and then stick them on to a spoon so that they sit upright.
Spoon the ganache into a piping bag and fill the eggs.
Scatter some orange zest over to serve.