Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day Recipe.

Love-heart cupcakes

If ever there was a day for these cupcakes, today is it! Happy Valentine's Day!

Makes

24

Equipment

You will need 24 paper patty cases and one 24-hole patty pan.

Ingredients

• 220g unsalted butter, softened
• 400g (2 cups, firmly packed) dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100g dark chocolate, melted, cooled
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 200g plain flour
• Pure icing sugar, sifted, to dust
• 500g packet ready-made icing
• 2 packets (22g each) love-heart lollies*

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line the patty pan with paper cases. Place butter and sugar in an electric mixer and beat for about 5 minutes until soft. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and chocolate, stirring in gently (don't over-beat at this stage). Add bicarbonate soda to the flour, then sift into mixture, alternating with 1 cup boiling water. Stir until smooth and just combined.

2. Fill the paper cases to three-quarters full. Bake for 30 minutes or until risen. Remove and allow to cool.

3. Dust the workbench with the icing sugar, then roll out icing until 2mm thick. Use a fluted pastry cutter to cut out circles the same size as the top of the cakes. Sit one on top of each cake, moulding to its shape. Press a lolly into the top of each cake.

Notes

• * Lollies are available from sweet shops.