So today is my best friend birthday, and I wanted to make something special for her. I decided to bake a double chocolate cupcake with vanilla bean buttercream frosting.

For the cake, I used a slightly different recipe from this one.

I reduced the Cocoa Powder and add some chocolate chips. This time i half cheated on the buttercream. I use a buttercream mix and whisk it with fresh vanilla pods. Don’t you just love the tiny black dots?

Yields : 12 cupcakes

Ingredients :

• 100 gr butter
• 200 gr sugar
• 2 eggs
• 225 gr flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 75 gr cocoa powder
• 100 ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 75 gr chocolate chip

Directions :

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit /180 degrees celcius.
2. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. add the eggs one by one, beat for about 3-5 more minutes until the mixture is pale in colour.
4. Measure the milk and vanilla into a measuring thing.
5. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine.
6. Add about a half of the milk/vanilla and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.
7. mix the chocolate chip.
8. Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 2/3’s full.
9. Bake  for about 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. keep it until cool on a cooling rack.

F0r the buttercream, I added vanilla bean pods and confectionery sugar, and whisk with electric mixer until it doubled, soft and fluffy.

I decorated the cupcakes using colored crystal sugar, mini heart shapes decorating sugar, and small ribbons.