Really easy drinking-chocolate and sultana cupcakes

Some of you might think I’m weird but I’m not a huge fan of chocolate-y things when it comes to baked goods. I usually go for the fruity/citrus-y cakes/cookies  in the shops and this is true even when I bake at home. However, one evening last week, I came home with this crazy urge to bake something with chocolate in it. Just so happened that the local supermarket’s weekly magazine had a really easy chocolate cupcake recipe and so it came to be. This recipe is proof that you don’t need butter to make a soft and fluffy cupcake…

Cupcake ready to eat!

Ingredients (makes 12):

225gms (approx 2 cups) of standard flour, sifted

55 gms of cocoa powder ( I used drinking chocolate because that’s all I had)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup light brown sugar (adjust to suit your taste. I didn’t add any more because the drinking chocolate was also sweet)

1/2 cup raisins/sultanas

1 cup of chocolate buttons (white,milk, dark or all)

2 medium eggs

250 mls of low-fat milk

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder into a large mixing bowl.

3. Toss the chocolate buttons/pieces and sultanas through the flour.

4. In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs, milk, oil and sugar until it is a smooth liquid.

5. Make a well in the centre of the flour mix and add the egg mix in to it.

6. Mix well until all the ingredients are combined

7. Pour into regular muffin trays lined with paper muffin cups (to make cleaning easier).

8. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the muffins have risen in the centre.  Don’t open the oven door when they are rising as the difference in air pressure will make them collapse.

9. Eat while warm and when the chocolate is nice and goo-ey.

10. If re-heating in the microwave, do so for no more than 10-12 seconds.

 

Tips:

1. If you are vegan, then substitute semi-skim milk for soy milk, eggs for egg-substitute and use really dark chocolate (or vegan chocolate) with 1/4 cup more sugar.

2. You can substitute the sultanas for walnuts or hazelnuts or a mixture of both.

3. If you want to make this cupcake more healthy, you can leave out the sugar and let the sweetness come from the sultanas and the chocolate buttons.

 

Chocolate button and sultana cupcakes…
1. Dry ingredients – flour, cocoa, choc buttons, sultanas, baking powder 2. Wet ingredients – eggs, milk, oil, sugar 3. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together 4. Make a smooth batter for the cupcakes.