Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcake

To be honest, I'm not such a big fan of cupcakes, especially those pretty ones with incredibly sweet icing toppings. I usually only made them for my daughter's birthday party or school events.

But I was instantly drawn to these chocolate cream cheese cupcakes which I saw in a recipe book. What's even better was that the pretty decorations on top of them were actually made out of natural nuts! No artificial food colouring or sweet sprinkles required to dress up these cute and pretty cupcakes! And with all my favourite ingredients in them, it ticks all the boxes ... how can I resist! Love 'em!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes

(Makes 8)

Ingredients

40g Unsalted butter

125g Cream cheese

90g Castor sugar

2 Large Eggs, beaten

2 Tbsp Milk

Dry Ingredients

20g Cake flour

20g Cocoa powder

80g Almond powder

1 1/3 tsp Baking powder

For Chocolate Icing

125g Cream cheese

20g Butter, melted

40g Icing sugar

1 Tbsp Cocoa powder

For Decoration

Almond Flakes

8 Whole Hazelnuts

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 12-hole muffin pan with 8 cupcake cases.

2) Sift the dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

3) Place melted butter and cream cheese in a bowl and beat with a mixer till creamy.  Add in the  castor sugar and continue to beat until the mixture turns pale.

4) Add in the beaten eggs in 2 or 3 intervals as you beat the mixture, followed by the milk.

5) Add 2 tablespoon of the dry ingredients and beat into the mixture. Then using a spatula, gently fold in the rest of the dry ingredients.

6) Pour the batter into the cupcake cases until three quarter full. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. 

7) To make chocolate icing, beat together cream cheese and melted butter till creamy. Add in icing sugar and cocoa powder.

8) Fill chocolate icing into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe on top of the cupcakes and decorate with almond flakes and a whole hazelnut to form a flower.