Baking for Beginners: Creme Egg Surprise Cupcakes

"Ridiculicious", proclaimed my friend Jo when she tried these. "These cakes are both ridiculous and delicious". She has a point. Baking a Creme egg into the middle of a cupcake sounds so sickly sweet that simply reading about them feels like it'll give you seven cavities. And yet they work - the mini egg gives you a sweet caramel hit halfway through, but isn't so overwhelming that you feel like you've had your annual sugar intake in a single cake.

I saw a photo of these cakes on Pinterest and knew I had to recreate them. After some trial and error, I can recommend freezing the Creme eggs first so they melt less in the oven. And don't push them too far down, or the hot baking tray will melt the chocolate and the insides will leak out. It'll still taste lush but won't look as pretty.

The fudge topping is really gilding the diabetic lily, but tastes oh-so-good.


Creme Egg Surprise Cupcakes (makes 10)


You will need:

For the cakes:

• 110g caster sugar
• 110g butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 eggs at room temperature, beaten
• 95g self-raising flour
• 15g cocoa powder
• Packet of mini Creme eggs, straight from the freezer

For the topping:

• Icing sugar, sieved
• Mini fudge pieces

Make it!

1. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / gas mark 4. Line a cupcake tin with cases.
2. Cream together the caster sugar and butter with an electric mixer or wooden spoon, until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs and vanilla essence.
3. Sift in the flour and cocoa and gently fold in.
4. Half fill each cupcake case with cake mixture. Pop a mini Creme egg into the middle of each and gently push down. Pop more mixture on the top to cover them.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until well risen, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
6. Mix the icing sugar with water to form a smooth, thick consistency. Top the cooled cakes with it, then scatter on some fudge pieces.