Chocolate cupcakes!

It's been much longer than I intended since my last post, but I've been busy busy busy with all sorts of things this week! I was invited to 3 interviews, but it turns out I got the job on the first one, yay! I don't start officially until semptember, but when I do there'll be a lovely class of 30 with my initial in their class name (I'm hoping it'll be 3p or 4p, but could be year 5 or 6, scary thought) beaming at me and waiting eagerly for their first lessons. I wish.

Anyway, what with all that baking has taken a bit of a back seat, but with my sister's 21st party less than 3 weeks away now, and me baker in chief for the event, I thought it was about time to get cracking on some practice attempts. What a good excuse to fill the house with cake!

This weekend it was the turn of some chocolate cupcakes. I used the basic cupcake recipe here, replacing about a tablespoon of flour for cocoa powder. When the cupcakes were cool I iced them with buttercream made from butter, icing sugar and cocoa powder (I normally do this by eye, adding more sugar until the consistency seems right rather than measuring out ingredients) and topped with some white chocolate stars.

Definitely need to work on my icing skills I think...

Oh, and whilst you're here, any other suggestions for these?