Ingredients

• 175g  Plain Chocolate Chips (70 Percent Cocoa Solids)
• 200g  Light Muscovado Sugar Or Light Brown Sugar
• 175g Soft, Salted Butter
• 3 Medium Eggs And 2 Egg Yolks (Save The Whites For An Egg White Omelette Or Meringues)
• 100g Sour Cream At Room Temperature
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste Or Extract
• 150g Self-raising Flour
• 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder

• 250g White Chocolate
• Easter Mini Eggs And Sprinkles Of Your Choice
• 250g Unsalted Butter, Soft
• 450g Icing Sugar, Sifted
• 2-3 Tbsp Milk
• 150g Dark Chocolate, Melted And Cooled Slightly
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract Or Bean Paste 

Tools

• kMix Stand Mixer

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF/Gas 4)
2. Place the chocolate, sugar and butter in a heatproof bowl. Put in the microwave at medium heat for 1 minute intervals, stirring at each interval, until all melted together. Alternatively, melt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Do not allow the bowl to touch the water. Allow to cool slightly.
3. Whisk the eggs, sour cream and vanilla together. Mix together the flour and cocoa powder with a whisk to combine.
4. Add the egg mixture to the melted chocolate mix and stir well.
5. Fold in the flour and cocoa. Spoon into cupcake cases to just over half to 2/3 full.
6. Bake for 15–20 minutes until just firm. The knife should come out slightly sticky (but not wet) when it’s cooked – not clean, as you’d expect from a vanilla sponge. Leave to cool in the muffin tray for 5 mins then take out to cool on the rack.
7. Meanwhile make the buttercream
8. Melt the dark chocolate and set aside to cool
9. Place half the icing sugar in the stand mixer bowl and add the softened butter. Beat on slow until all the powder has disappeared into the butter, add the vanilla and turn up the speed to medium and beat until pale and fluffy for a minute.
10. Add the rest of the icing sugar, beat on slow until combined, then whip up again for a minute until pale and fluffy. Add a little milk to loosen the buttercream, then with the mixer on slow, pour in the cooled melted chocolate and beat through until the buttercream and chocolate have mixed fully.
11. Load the buttercream into a piping bag and pipe over each cooled cupcake, starting at the edge, holding the bag vertically, wit the nozzle close to the cake and squeeze in a continuous motion circling around the outside edge of the cupcake case and winding inwards and upwards to create a whippy effect.
12. Cut the Easter bark into different size pointy shards and plunge into the buttercream at different angles.
13. Best eaten within 3 days, store in an airtight container to keep fresh in a cool place but not in the fridge.

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