Recipe No.1- Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes

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Hiya fellow bakers!

Yes, this is actually my FIRST ever post on BakingBoutique. And I was thinking:  Well WHY should I waste my time typing to you about what this blog's about and what I'm ACTUALLY going to be posting - I figured it would be a waste of time which is why for my first post I've decided to post a RECIPE. 

This recipe is quite a simple one but for me I had to have a LITTLE practise before I've mastered it and now it's one of my FAVOURITES- oh yes! It's Chocolate Hazelnut cupcakes.

Now for this recipe you'll need the following:

• 100g of either PLAIN or self-raising flour (I prefer self-raising flour but what you have in your cupboard or prefer more,use).
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa powder that's suitable for cooking (you can
  
  find this at your local supermarket or in a chocolate store. Yum)!
• 140g of caster sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder (it depends whether you're using plain flour or self-raising flour)
• a pinch of salt
• 40g/ 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter at room temp (to be honest I don't ALWAYS use unsalted butter in case I run out  of it so I just use normal butter and it tastes and looks JUST as spectacular)
• 120ml whole milk
  
• 1 egg
• 120g of chocolate spread (OR melted chocolate)
• around 36 WHOLE, shelled hazelnuts, to decorate (unless you have braces like I do, have a wobbly tooth or know somebody else who's going eat these cupcakes that have a wobbly tooth or a set of braces do NOT use hazelnuts for decoration)

And for the hazelnut and chocolate frosting you'll ALSO need:

• 250g icing sugar,sifted
• 80g/5 tablespoons of unsalted butter,at room temp(again, it doesn't REALLY matter whether it's salted or not just as long as it's butter)
• 2 tablespoons of whole milk (for consistency)
• 80g hazelnut and chocolate spread (yum)!

Equipment for this recipe:

• 12 lined baking tray lined with cupcake cases
• Electric mixer (free-standing or handheld)
• A couple of spoons (TABLE spoons)
• Rubber spatula

                             Method (FINALLY)

 Before you even start touching ingredients, preheat your oven to 170 degrees celcuis or 325 fareheit, gas mark 3.

Tip the flour, cocoa powder, sugar,baking powder,salt AND butter in a reasonable sized bowl and beat on SLOW speed (so about maybe 1, 2 even 3) until you get a sandy consistency-meaning that the sugar HASN'T quite dissolved into the mixture yet- AND till everything's combined.

Gradually, pour the milk into the current mixture, beating well until ingredients are well mixed. Add in the egg and again beat well (if necessary, scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). 

Spoon the chocolatey mixture into the paper cases and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes whilst checking over them regularly. When 20 minutes are up, take the cupcakes out and leave them on the wiring rack to cool.

(This was the trickiest as well as my fave step)  When cupcakes are as cold as you want them to be, hollow out a small hole in the centre of each one and fill with chocolate spread/melted chocolate before icing.

For the delicious,creamy hazelnut and chocolate butter-cream icing is to beat the icing sugar with the butter on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together well and also is well mixed.  While mixing on low speed, slowly pour in the milk into the icing mixture. Once all the milk is added, with you electric (handheld or free standing mixer),increase the speed to HIGH. Beat until light and fluffy for roughly around five minutes.

Once that's done, stir in the chocolate hazelnut spread,by hand, into the butter-cream mixture until well combined.


Finally, the finishing result is when all the cupcakes have been iced and decorated with hazelnuts (unless you have braces,  a wobbly tooth or lost teeth).

And there you have it- my recipe for Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes.

Please DO comment and like this recipe and well...TRY this recipe, see how well it goes for you if it's the first time you've EVER made chocolate hazelnut cupcakes.

But for now....

Have fun baking!

#sweetreats

xxxx