makes
12
prep
45 minutes
cook
30 minutes
difficulty
Mid
makes
12
serves
preparation
45
minutes
cooking
30
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 175 g all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 225 g caster sugar
- 175 g unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 175 ml milk
- 1 tbsp food-safe activated charcoal
Chocolate shards
- 300 g Wilton Black Choc Melts (melted)
- edible black shimmer
Frosting
- 1 batch chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream frosting ()
- 1 tbsp food safe activated charcoal
Chilling time 1 hour
Instructions
To make the chocolate shards, add the choc melts into a microwave safe bowl and melt in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time until completely melted and smooth.
Pour on to a sheet of acetate and use a large spatula to spread out evenly. Allow to set at room temp.
Brush with edible black shimmer using a food safe pain brush. Use a large knife to cut the chocolate into diamonds.
Chill in the fridge for 1 hour before taking the diamond shards apart.
To make the frosting, combine frosting and charcoal together using a hand mixer or stand mixer. Mix until really well combined. Make sure you scrape the bowl down at least once.
To make the cupcakes, preheat a fan-forced oven to 160°C (320F) or 180°C (356F) for a conventional oven. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cocoa powder, activated charcoal, 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.
Next, add milk and eggs in a jug and whisk until well combined.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients in a slow and steady stream until no dry ingredients are visible. Scrape down the bowl and mix for another 20 seconds.
Fill each paper ¾ 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 30 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow them to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting.
Fit the end of a piping bag with a Wilton 8B piping tip and frost a swirl of the black chocolate frosting on each cupcake before you arrange the shards into a V shape on the frosting.
This recipe, photography and styling is by Nick Makrides from For more check out his Instagram .
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
