I’m not quite sure how it happened but January seems to have slipped by without notice.  Which means one thing: Valentines Day is just around the corner.  If you are yet to come up with a creative way of telling your beloved how you feel, we have a solution. What could be more romantic than taking the time to bake something rich and chocolatey?  These chocolate mud cupcakes with peanut brittle crumb combine velvety chocolate mud cake with shards of caramel peanut brittle.  They are rich and decadent and all the things you want to enjoy on the day that celebrates love. We’re pretty certain your Valentine will agree.

You Will Need:

12 x paper cupcake liners

125g butter, cubed

100g dark chocolate

3/4 cup boiling water

1 cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 egg

3/4 cup self raising flour

To decorate:

Icing sugar

1 portion of peanut brittle (recipe here)

1 packet wafer flowers or decoration of choice

Cellophane for wrapping

Method: 
Step One. Preheat oven to 150 degrees celcius.  Arrange cupcake liners into cupcake tray.

Step Two. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, chocolate, water, sugar and vanilla essence over a medium heat.  Stir until butter and chocolate have melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly for 10-15 minutes.

Step Three. Lightly beat the eggs and add them with the flour to the saucepan.  Mix well to ensure you limit the amount of lumps.  Pour mixture into a jug which will make dispersing it amongst the cupcake liners as easy as possible.

Step Four. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 35-45 minutes or until a skewer can be removed cleanly.  Once cooled for 10 minutes, remove cupcakes and place aside to cool completely and for decoration.

Step Five. Place the peanut brittle in a snap lock bag. Using the back of a large knife or a rolling pin, crush the peanut brittle so a medium-fine crumb is formed.

Step Six. Dust icing sugar over the cupcakes then top with the peanut brittle crumb.

Step Seven. Finally, arrange the wafer flowers or chosen decoration on top.  Wrap with cellophane and voila! Your gift of chocolate and love is ready for giving.

Ms Zigzag says: Chocolate is the way to my heart. These little cupcakes are très cute! 

About Jessica Derrick: I’m a writer and a lover of words and stories, pretty papers and flowers. I find great satisfaction in creating something beautiful from the simplest of materials. I’m happiest in a home bustling with conversation and music, sitting at a beautifully decorated table surrounded by good friends and delicious food – with a glass of champagne in hand, of course!