Chocolate Courgette Fairy Cakes with Chocolate Icing

Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper cases.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with sugar for about 10 minutes or until thick and pale. Blend oil and cooled chocolate into the beaten egg mixture.

In a small bowl stir together flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt; stir flour mixture into egg mixture until just blended. Stir in courgette and chopped nuts. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins, filling the cups 2/3 full.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a fairy cake comes out clean. Let cool in tins on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from tins; let cool completely.

While fairy cakes are cooling, prepare the chocolate icing. In a large bowl, beat butter and cocoa together until combined. Add milk and vanilla; beat until smooth. Gradually beat in icing sugar until desired consistency is achieved. Adjust with more milk or icing sugar if necessary.

Spread cooled fairy cakes with chocolate icing and garnish with walnut halves.