Mocha Kisses Cupcakes

I was looking for some new inspiration for my regular cupcake recipe, and I found it, although I cannot take all credit for these as it was my niece (another budding baking enthusiast) that gave me the idea. Combining a joint love for all things chocolate and an addiction to coffee, the Mocha Kisses Cupcakes were born.Why not give these a try for Valentines Day if you special someone has a passion for chocolate or coffee :-)

Ingredients:

115g baking margarine, softened
115g caster sugar
2 medium eggs, beaten
100g plain flour
15g cocoa powder
1.5 tsp Baking Powder
8 Hersheys Kisses

To decorate:

100g unsalted butter, softened
15ml cold espresso or very strong coffee (made up)
190g icing sugar
Chocolate Decorations (I used white chocolate stars)

Method:


1. Preheat the oven to 190C(170 C fan oven)/375F/Gas 5. Line your desired tin (cupcake or muffin tins will work fine) with muffin cases.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat the margarine with the sugar until pale and creamy-light in texture. Gradually whisk in the eggs.
3. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder on top - at this point you can also add 1/2 tsp of powdered espresso for those who cannot get enough of there caffeine. Using a large metal spoon, carefully fold the dry ingredients into the mixture until well combined.
4. Spoon a heaped teaspoon of the mixture into the cake cases, and make a slight indent in the middle of the mixture. Place one of the Hershey's Kisses in the indent and then cover with the remaining cake mixture. This should create a nice chocolate center when cooked.
5. Bake on the middle shelf in the oven for 16-18 minutes until risen, and just firm to the touch.
6. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool before icing.


For the icing:

Place the butter in a bowl with the espresso or strong coffee and beat until soft. Gradually sift and beat in the icing sugar to make a smooth, creamy icing. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe a generous swirl on top of each cake. Alternatively if you do not have a piping bag, create a swirl on the top using a palette knife. Decorate with chocolate before serving.