Yield about 2 dozen cupcakes
Preparation time 30 min
Cooking 20 min

Ingredients for cupcakes
1 cup buttermilk
1 ¼ cups of vegetable oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 ¾ cups sugar
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
Red food colouring

Ingredients for cream frosting

1 cup icing sugar
2 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups of thick whipping cream
8 oz. of cream cheese room temperature

Method to make cupcakes

Preheat oven to 170 c /gas mark 3 /325f

In a bowl whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, white vinegar, vanilla extract and enough red food colouring until the mixture is well combined using an electric mixer.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder.

Add the dry mixtures to the wet mixtures ½ a cup at a time, to avoid any lumps in the batter. Mix till well combined

Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

Fill each cupcake paper liner about ¾ full with the batter and bake for 20 mins until a toothpick inserted comes out clear.

Transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Method to make the cream frosting

In a bowl beat the cream cheese until smooth.

Sift the icing sugar into the bowl. Combine and add the vanilla extract.

Now whisk on medium high speed, and add the cold thick wiping cream until the frosting is thick enough to pipe.

Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitter with your desire nuzzle. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and decorate with cake crumbs.

To make fine cake crumbs

Break apart a couple of cupcakes into very tiny small pieces.

Dry them out a bit in a preheated oven 170 c /gas mark 3 /325 f

Once they are dry, you should be able to crumble them finely. Sift them in a sifter to a powder form crumbs. sprinkle over the frosting. This way the same cupcake crumbs will not affect the taste of the cupcakes.

Decorating with chocolate

Place a sheet of parchment paper over a smooth surface. Do your design on a templet and trace it on to a parchment paper.
Break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave to melt then remove and mix well until thoroughly blended.

Transfer the melted chocolate to a pipping bag. Cut a tin hole by snipping the very corner of the bag.

Place the parchment paper on the back of a backing tray. Pip your design onto the parchment and put in the freezer for 5 minutes with the backing tray until the chocolate is harden. If you have left overs of chocolate in the pipping bag, put it in the freezer to set and re-use the chocolate when needed.

Carefully peel the chocolate designs off the paper and use to decorate the cupcakes.

Decorate the cupcakes

Kinghat