Easy chocolate cupcakes

Preheat oven to 180C/160 fan/gas 4. Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with paper cupcake cases. We think gold cases look particularly pretty with this cake.

Add lemon juice to milk and set aside 3. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda together into a large bowl 4. In a separate bowl, cream the butter with half of the sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat the dissolved coffee in with the eggs. Beat this egg mixture into the batter, followed by the remainder of the sugar.

Beat the flour mixture into the batter a third at a time, alternating with a third of the soured milk until it is evenly mixed. Stir through the chocolate drops.

Spoon the cake batter into the cases. Bake for 20 minutes until they are firm but springy to the touch, and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle.

Leave to cool on a wire rack 9. For the icing: melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Remove from the heat and whisk in the salt, sugar and soured cream into the melted chocolate. The mixture will thicken up to the consistency of icing. Leave for 15 minutes to cool.

. Decorate each cooled cupcake with a swirl of icing, either using a palette knife or the large star nozzle of a piping bag. Decorate with a single shard of chocolate.

Cupcake recipes