Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate & Peanut Butter Icing

It's my friend Sam's 30th birthday today. That is all the excuse I need to get in the kitchen and whip up some special birthday cupcakes. 

Cupcake Ingredients

125g butter or margarine

125g golden caster sugar

125g plain flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract 

2 tbsp cocoa

3 tbsp milk 

Icing Ingredients 
2 tbsp butter or margarine

2 tbsp smooth peanut butter

1 tbsp cocoa

200g icing sugar

3 tbsp milk 

Heat the oven to 180°C. Place all of the cupcake ingredients into a bowl, except for the milk, and beat. Add the milk and beat again until smooth and creamy. Divide into cupcake cases. This recipe should make up to 24 cupcakes or 12 deeper filled muffin cases. Don't overfill the cases as you want to leave plenty of room for the icing. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until cooked through and springy. 

While they are baking you can make the icing. Easy peasy. Blend all the ingredients (except the milk) in a large bowl. Slowly add the milk until you have a thick icing, you may not need to use it all. 

When the cakes are ready, leave them to cool on a wire rack. When they are completely cool, share the icing between them, and spread to cover. Pop the cakes in the fridge to set. I like to take this opportunity to eat any left over icing.