I have to confess that in my pre-mamma days I wasn’t really a cupcake person but there’s something about that swirl that just drives my five year old wild, so I’ve adapted!

I think in the past the major turn-off was simply the overwhelming sweetness of the cakes on offer, loaded with so much standard buttercream that the only discernible flavour was sugar. And yes, I know it wouldn’t be a proper cup cake without a hefty amount of frosting, which is why it needs to be good!

In a lot of cases I’ve found that using an Italian buttercream offers the solution. The eggs add so much volume that the overall sweetness per bite is much lower – especially when balanced with the addition of an unsweetened fruit purée, as in my roasted rhubarb frosting. And of course there are cream cheese based frostings that balance the sweetness with a gentle tang.

In this case it’s the peanut butter that adds body. While I favour a 100% peanut chunky version for toast (and generally eating from the jar with a spoon) for this recipe I went for a traditional smooth variety. For me it’s almost sweet enough with just the peanut butter and butter so just a small amount of icing sugar sets it off beautifully.

But what of the cake? Tender, rich and not too sweet, this is everything I look for in a chocolate cake. The addition of both Dutch-processed and quality dark chocolate callets results in an intensely chocolatey flavour, the sour cream ensures that it stays moist and the golden caster sugar gives an irresistible crust where the batter peaks over the case.

What you’ll need: Equipment and Utensils

• Electric stand mixer with whisk attachment or hand held electric whisk
• Digital scales
• Saucepan
• Heatproof/microwavable bowl
• Mixing bowls
• Sieve
• Mixing Spoon
• Measuring spoons
• Spatula
• 12 hole muffin tin
• 12 cupcake/muffin cases
• Icing bag
• Icing nozzle
• Chopping board
• Knife

What you’ll need: Ingredients

• 110g unsalted butter
• 60g dark chocolate chips
• 50g cocoa powder
• 100g plain flour
• Half teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 120g golden caster sugar
• 100ml sour cream
• Half teaspoon salt

• 200g peanut butter
• 75g unsalted butter
• 50g icing sugar
• Half teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of Maldon salt
• 100ml double cream
• Small handful of dry roasted peanuts

Method

To make the cake

1. Preheat oven to 190C, 170C fan.

2. Place the butter, chocolate and cocoa powder in a heat proof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, ensuring that the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir until melted. (This can also be done in the microwave, heating the ingredients for 30 seconds at a time until melted. See Tip below.)

3. Add the eggs and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment and beat on high for several minutes until the mixture is pale and frothy.

4. Add the cooled chocolate mixture, sour cream and vanilla extract and whisk to combine.

5. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl.

6. Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mix and whisk very briefly until just combined.

7. Use a large ice-cream scoop to portion the mixture into 12 cupcake cases.

8. Bake for 16-20 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Tip: Melting chocolate in the microwave can be preferable to over water as it reduces the risk of accidentally introducing moisture into your chocolate mix which could cause it to seize. If you choose the microwave method keep a close eye on your mixture. Heat in 30 second bursts, stirring to distribute heat as you go. Remember that chocolate has a very low melting temperature (just look at a child’s hands after they’ve eaten a chocolate biscuit!) so a mixture with a few lumps will melt to silky smoothness with a few stirs.

To make the frosting

1. Add the butter, peanut butter, icing sugar, salt and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixture with whisk attachment and whisk on high until smooth.

2. Reduce the speed to low and slowly pour in the double cream until light and fluffy.

To assemble

1. Wait until the cupcakes are completely cool before icing.

2. Fit a piping back with the nozzle of your choice (I used a wide star-shape) and fill with the frosting.

3. With the nozzle pointing directly down pipe a swirl around each cupcake, giving a small squeeze and release to finish each one with a point.

4. Scatter with chopped dry roasted peanuts.