Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Preheat your oven to 170°c/Gas mark 3.

Combine the cocoa powder, baking powder and flour in a large bowl and set aside.

Place chocolate and butter in a medium sized heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water (or use a double boiler) and stir until melted. Once the chocolate and butter are melted add the sugar, beaten eggs and warm water to the mix and whisk to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. Once combined, divide the mixture evenly between the 24 lined cupcake tins and bake for 20 minutes. When the time is up insert a toothpick or a skewer into the cake; if it is clean the cakes are done, if not put them back in the oven for 5 minutes and check again. Once the cakes are baked leave them to cool in their pans for 5 or 10 minutes before transferring them onto a wire rack to cool.

Whilst the cakes are cooling make the ganache. Place chocolate in a heat proof bowl set it aside. Put the cream in a saucepan. Bring the cream to a boil, stirring frequently, and once it reaches a boil, pour it over the chocolate. Leave the warm cream and chocolate mixture to sit for 2 minutes, then take a whisk and beat until fully combined. Leave the ganache mixture at room temperature and allow to set up. It will look quite runny at first but don’t worry it will thicken.

When the cakes are cool, take a small sharp knife and make a circular incision in the middle of the top of the cakes about an inch wide pointing the knife at an angle towards the centre of the cake. You are basically cutting out a portion of the top of the cake, so you can fill it with the ganache. Once you’ve completed the circle you can pull the centre out and you should have a little piece of cone-shaped sponge. Now cut the tips off all of these cones leaving just the top which will go on top of the cake after filled, to work as a plug. Fill the gap in the cake with the ganache (using a piping bag or a Ziplock bag with the corner cut off) and place the plug back on the top of the cakes.

Top the cakes with whipped cream and mini marshmallows then indulge in a chocolate feast.