Chocolate Cupcakes with M&M Frosting

These are the best ever chocolate cupcakes with decadent creamy frosting…. hands down! Tried, tested and loved by everyone! 

If there’s one thing that’s always guaranteed to make me happy, it’s a chocolate cupcake. There’s just something so good about beautiful, moist chocolate cupcakes covered with sweet, insanely delicious frosting. And cupcakes are just so pretty! I’m definitely one of those people who could quite happily stand outside a cupcake shop staring at all the gorgeous creations for hours… mind you I’m even happier when I’m eating one of those creations! A few weeks ago I shared my favourite chocolate cake recipe on the blog. It’s amazing! A moist, rich, layered and oh-so-decadent chocolate cake… mmmm. Anyway, as much as I love to make a big cake (and trust me, I do), sometimes a batch of cupcakes is called for!

I think my favourite thing about cupcakes is that they are bite-sized, so you get a sugar fix without feeling like you’ve overindulged (not like when you make a big cake and end up cutting yourself the HUGEST slice ever – only to realize that your eyes are way to big for your belly… I do that all the time!).

The other great thing about cupcakes is that they are so much fun to decorate. After seeing this picture from Sally’s Baking Addiction on Pinterest, I knew that I absolutely had to make a batch of M&M decorated cupcakes. I used a totally different chocolate cake and frosting recipe to Sally, but I just loved how she decorated her cupcakes. Seriously, M&Ms make everything so much prettier… and I do love a bit of colour too!

The chocolate cupcake recipe I used is a really simple and classic (old!!) recipe. It’s no fuss and perfect for when you want to whip up a batch of cupcakes quickly. The frosting is the most delicious chocolate fudgy frosting ever. It’s made with melted chocolate, butter and icing sugar, so while your hips may not thank you, your taste buds certainly will! And hey, the cupcakes are only little, so it’s totally ok!

So once the cupcakes have completely cooled, you can pop that delicious frosting on top. Best of all, you only need a knife to swirl the frosting over the top – no piping required! And then comes the fun bit…. popping the M&Ms over the frosting. This was my favourite bit and I definitely did the whole ‘one for me, one for the cupcake’ thing while I was decorating (I highly recommend you do that too).

And that’s it – simple chocolate cupcakes that look so bright and colourful. These would be perfect for kids birthday parties… but really, who needs an excuse to eat a Chocolate M&M Cupcake?? Not me – that’s for sure!

xxx

Chocolate Cupcakes with M&M Frosting

These are the best ever chocolate cupcakes with decadent creamy frosting.... hands down! Tried, tested and loved by everyone!

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Course: Chocolate, Cup Cakes

Cuisine: Baking, cakes, Chocolate

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 12

Author: Bake Play Smile

Ingredients

• Cupcakes:
• 125 g butter softened
• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups self raising flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 2/3 cup milk
• Frosting:
• 130 g chocolate
• 130 g unsalted butter softened
• 220 g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 tbs milk to loosen
• 100 g Chocolate M&Ms to decorate

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 170°C.
• Line 12 muffin holes with patty paper or cupcake holders.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined.
• Alternate folding through the sifted flour and cocoa with the milk until combined.
• Spoon the mixture into the patty paper lined muffin pans.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked when tested.
• Leave in the pan to cool for 10 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the frosting, melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water (making sure that the base of the bowl doesn't touch the surface of the water.)
• Leave the chocolate to cool slightly.
• Beat the butter in a bowl until soft.
• Gradually beat in the icing sugar.
• Add the vanilla extract and beat again.
• Fold in the melted chocolate until completely combined.
• If the mixture is too hard add a few drops of milk.
• Beat until smooth.
• Spread frosting over the cooled cupcakes and decorate with M&Ms.

Thermomix Instructions:

Chocolate Cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 170°C.
2. Line 12 muffin holes with patty paper or cupcake holders.
3. Melt the butter on 60 degrees, 2 minutes, Speed 4.
4. Add all of the other ingredients and mix for 30 seconds on Speed 5.
6. Spoon the mixture into the patty paper lined muffin pans.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked when tested.
8. Leave in the pan to cool for 10 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Cupcakes Frosting:
1. Grate chocolate for 3 seconds on Speed 8.
2. Scrape the sides of the bowl and melt on 50 degrees, for 3 minutes, Speed 1 (or until melted).
3. Add butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract.
4. Leave the MC off and whip for 10 seconds on Speed 5.
5. Check the frosting and if it’s a little too hard, add 1 tablespoon of milk and mix for another 10 seconds on Speed 5 (repeat with another tablespoon of milk at a time until the frosting is smooth and easy to spread). *I used 3 tablespoons of milk because I like my frosting to be really smooth.
6. Spread frosting over the cooled cupcakes and decorate with M&Ms.