Choc On Choc On Choc Cupcakes

There's so much chocolate happening here it could be a crime, but thank heavens it's not.

INGREDIENTS

• 50 grams cocoa powder
• 175 grams all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 225 grams caster sugar
• 175 grams unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 175 milliliters milk
• Any choc candy you can find. I used choc candy balls, dark choc maltesers and a couple blocks of my fave chocolate bars (dark and milk)
• 250 grams dark choc chips
• 250 grams white choc chips
• Chocolate sauce (recipe on www.thescranline.com)
• Frosting:
• 1 batch of my chocolate ganache frosting

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 180C (356F) or 160C (320F) for a fan forced oven. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cocoa powder, plain flour, salt, bicarb soda and sugar. Turn mixer on low speed and allow it to mix for a couple minutes to help everything combine well (alternatively you may do this by sifting the ingredients together). Add the softened butter there is no butter visible and it's well incorporated into the dry.
3. Next, add milk and eggs in a jug and whisk until well combined.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients in a slow and steady stream until no dry ingredients are visible. Scrape down the bowl, add chocolate chips and mix for a final 20 seconds.
5. Fill each paper 3/4 of the way (using an ice cream scoop to transfer the batter into the cupcake liners makes this a quick and easy process otherwise you can use two tablespoons). Bake for 20-25 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow them to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting.
6. To finish off the cupcakes core the center and fill with chocolate sauce. You can use the end of a piping tip or an apple corer to core them.
7. Fit the end of a piping bag with a Wilton 6B piping tip and frost in a donut swirl. Top with your fave choc candy and drizzle with chocolate sauce.