I’m sitting here feeling very sorry for myself. I have a summer cold. Seriously? Who gets a cold in the summer? I’ll tell you…someone that thinks it’s a good idea to clear out their mouldy basement, that’s who.So I’m going to keep this brief, because I need to lie down on the sofa some more, catch up on Simon Hopkinson’s programme and read some crappy celebrity news.

I’ve updated my original Millionaire’s cupcakes recipe so the buttercream is a little softer, and I used less caramel so don’t go SO much of a sugar rush after. I took these and my Pimm’s cupcakes into work and these disappeared from the kitchen first. People just love chocolate I guess!

{Makes 18 cupcakes}

Ingredients

For the cupcake

• 170g self raising flour
• 1tbsp cornflour
• 2tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 170g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 170g caster sugar
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs

For the caramel

• 200g condensed milk
• 50g unsalted butter
• 50g soft brown sugar

For the chocolate buttercream

• 200g milk chocolate (I used patissier’s chocolate)
• 400g unsalted butter
• 450g icing sugar
• 2tbsp milk

To decorate

About 8 squares of dark chocolate

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F/Gas Mark 3. Line muffin tins with 18 cupcakes cases.
2. Sift together the flour, cornflour, baking powder and salt three times to ensure even distribution.
3. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla extract on medium/low speed for 5 minutes until really creamy, then add eggs in one at a time, mixing really well after each addition.
4. Add the flour mix on the lowest mixing speed, until just before it is completely mixed in. Then finish it off by folding the mixture by hand.
5. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, then bake in the oven for 15 minutes until the cupcakes feel springy on top. Immediately place them on a wire rack. Leave to cool then cut out the middles and discard them.
6. To make the caramel, place all the ingredients in a pan, bring to a slow boil, then turn down to a low heat for 3 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent burning.
7. Spoon the caramel into the cupcake holes and leave to cool.
8. To make the buttercream, melt the chocolate and 100g butter in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Once melted, take off the heat and leave to cool a little.
9. Meanwhile, take the rest of the butter and mix with the icing sugar for a minute or so until distributed. Add the chocolate and mix on a medium/high speed setting until creamy and smooth.
10. Pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes, then melt the dark chocolate over a saucepan of boiling water. Take a spoon and dip it in the dark chocolate and swing over the cupcakes to give them a stripy drizzle.

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