Easter Creme Egg Cupcakes

Easter is coming up.  Every year I tell myself, I'm going to bake this and cook that. Every year, I have the same excuse on why I didn't. I ran out of time.  I made an effort this year.  I wanted to make something that resembled the Chocolate Creme Eggs you can buy at the supermarket.  I think you all know which one I'm talking about.  I'm not a big fan of those as it is way too sweet for me.  Hubby loves them though, so I was inspired to replicate it whilst giving it my own twist.

My version is a double chocolate mud cupcake filled with whipped cream and kalamansi curd.  I had left over kalamansi curd in the fridge but you can make lemon or orange curd.  You can make everything from scratch or you can buy good cupcakes and decorate them yourself.  If you want, you can also use lemon curd from a jar to make these beauties for a quick treat for your Easter table.

I am quite happy at the way these Easter sweet treats turned out that I have entered them in a competition run by Ellie over at the Kitchen Wench blog.

Double chocolate mud cupcake:
60g dark chocolate, chopped coarsely
160ml water
90g soften butter
220g brown sugar
2 eggs
100g self raising flour, sifted
2 tbs cocoa powder, sifted
40g almond meal

To decorate:
100ml cream, whipped to soft peaks
1/4 quantity of kalamansi curd (get the recipe here)

1.  Preheat oven to 170degC (150degC fanforced).  Line a 12 hole muffin pan with paper cases
2.  Combine the chocolate and water in a small saucepan.  Stir over low heat until smooth
3.  Beat butter, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy
4.  Stir in sifted flour and cocoa, almond meal and warm chocolate mixture.  Divide evenly among cases.
5.  Bake large cakes about 35 minutes or smaller ones about 25 minutes.
6.  Let cool on a wire rack
7.  To decorate, using a knife, mark a circle at the top of each cupcake.  Using a teaspoon, scoop out the cake within the circle.  Make sure you take out any cake crumbs.
8.  Dollop some of the whipped cream into the hole
9.  Drop a small portion of the kalamansi curd in the middle and smooth it out.

Happy Easter.

Bon Appetite,

Cherrie