These are simply magnificent, and based on the cupcake recipe by the ever-wonderful Donna Hay in her book ‘The New Classics‘.

Ingredients (makes 24 mini cupcakes – if making 12 larger ones, double the icing mixture)

Cakes

• 1 1/4 cup self raising flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 100g butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons milk

Icing 

• 60g butter, softened
• 3/4 cups icing sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 3/4 tablespoon milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 180*C. Line a 24 cup muffin pan with cases.
2. Mix the flour, butter, milk, sugar, eggs and cocoa with an electric mixer until smooth.
3. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until they spring back when poked in the centre. Allow to cool completely before icing.
4. To make the icing, mix the butter, sugar, cocoa, milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until fluffy. For a neat finish like the above picture, place the mixture into a piping bag and use a wide nozzle to pipe the icing into florets. Otherwise, use the back of a spoon to spread the mixture over the top of the cakes.