Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla and Chocolate Buttercream

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Makes: 12

Ingredients:

1 cup (150g) plain flour, sifted
½ cup (110g) caster sugar
½ cup (80g) brown sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
100g 70% cocoa dark chocolate
125g butter
½ cup (125ml) buttermilk 
2 eggs, lightly beaten 
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped

Buttercream
250g butter, at room temperature 
6 cups (600g) icing sugar, sifted
½ cup (125ml) milk
2 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup (50g) cocoa powder

Method:

Preheat oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan). Line Stanley Rogers Ceramabake 12 cup Muffin Pan with cupcake papers. Set aside. Place the flour, sugars and soda into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Meanwhile, place the chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for a further 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Add the buttermilk and stir to combine. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir again.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the chocolate mixture. Stir until smooth. 

Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them to ¾ full. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing and cooling completely. 

To make the butter cream, place the butter, 4 cups of icing sugar, milk and vanilla into the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat, using the paddle attachment, on medium speed for 5 minutes or until pale and creamy. Gradually add the remaining icing sugar, ½ a cup at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each addition or until smooth and creamy. Remove half of the vanilla butter cream and spoon into a large piping bag. Set aside.

Add the cocoa to the remaining buttercream and beat until well combined and smooth. Spoon the chocolate buttercream into a large piping bag and set aside.

Place a large piece of cling wrap on a flat working surface, snip the ends of both piping bags to make a 3cm tip and pipe equal amounts of both the vanilla and chocolate buttercream, side by side, down the center. Fold the cling wrap over, forming a log, twisting the ends. Repeat with remaining buttercreams.

Snip one of the ends of the logs and place inside a large piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle. Pipe swirls of butter cream onto each of the cupcakes and sprinkle with the hazelnuts.