Ingredients

• 125g/4½oz plain flour
• 25g/1oz cocoa powder
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 150g/5oz caster sugar
• 150g/5oz unsalted butter
• softened at room temperature
• 1 free-range egg
• 8 tbsp milk
• 50g/2oz cream cheese
• 25g/1oz butter
• softened at room temperature
• 125g/4oz icing sugar
• sifted
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• 25g/1oz icing sugar
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line a muffin tray with 9 paper cases.
• Sift the flour
• cocoa powder and baking powder into a bowl. Add the sugar and butter and beat the mixture together until well combined.
• Whisk in the egg and milk until the mixture is thick and smooth.
• Divide the mixture between the paper case and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes
• or until springy to the touch and skewer inserted into the middle of one of the cakes comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a wire rack.
• For the cream cheese icing
• beat the cream cheese and butter together in a bowl until well combined. Beat in the icing sugar and vanilla.
• Spoon the icing onto the cupcakes
• leaving a small border around the edge.
• For the chocolate icing
• sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons of water to form a smooth
• thick icing.
• Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a fine nozzle. (Alternatively
• spoon the mixture into the corner of a sandwich bag and snip off the corner
• to form a small hole.)
• Carefully pipe 3 concentric circles onto each cupcake. Run a toothpick from the centre to the edge of the cake
• through each circle of icing
• at 2cm/1in intervals to create a cobweb effect.
• Set aside for 20 minutes to allow the icing to harden.