Fair trade chocolate cupcakes

Uuna Burch

Uuna Burch from The Forest Cantina has downsized her most popular fair trade chocolate cake into cupcakes to help raise funds for the SPCA's 2019 Cupcake Day on August 5. See here for more details on how you can bake for animals in need.

These cupcakes can be made the day before frosting and decorating, just store in an airtight container. Optional decorations: fresh fruit, freeze dried berries, edible flowers, chocolate shavings or sprinkles.

Cupcakes

1 Tbsp	Instant coffee, I used tair trade coffee granules but you could use any fair trade espresso coffee of your choice (Main)
¾ cup	Water
2 cups	Unrefined sugar, I used fair trade (Main)
1 ¾ cups	Plain flour
¾ cup	Cocoa powder, I used organic fair trade (Main)
2 tsp	Vanilla paste, or extract (Main)
2 tsp	Baking soda
1 tsp	Baking powder
½ tsp	Salt
2	Free range eggs
1 ¼ cups	Milk
½ cup	Coconut oil, melted, or use canola oil

Chocolate buttercream

4 Tbsp	Warm milk
4 Tbsp	Cocoa powder
200 g	Butter, at room temperature (Main)
3 cups	Icing sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Take a 12-hole muffin tin and line with paper cases and set aside.
2. Dissolve the coffee granules in water, then place all ingredients into a food processor and process until well combined and smooth.
3. Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases. I usually fill to about two-thirds of the way up. This cake mixture does have a rise on it, so be careful not to overfill.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer is inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean. If not quite cooked, set a timer and check every 2-3 minutes after that. Allow to completely cool before frosting.
5. For the buttercream, I use a stand mixer to make the process easy, but you can also use a handheld mixer. Dissolve the cocoa in the warm milk to make a smooth thick paste. Allow to cool so it doesn't melt the buttercream.
6. Beat the butter and icing sugar together until pale and fluffy in texture.
7. Beat in the cooled chocolate mixture. Thin with extra milk if needed. Mix the buttercream until it is no longer grainy from the icing sugar, around 5-6 minutes. Once it is fully mixed and fluffy it is ready to use. Decorate your cupcakes however you like, get creative and have fun.