Classic Chocolate Fairy Cakes

This is a very reliable recipe which I use for large birthday cakes or fairy cakes, it's easy and the cake is dark and chocolatey.  The quantities below are approximate because this calls for the eggs to be weighed then the main ingredients need to weigh the same.
You can use any icing really, a ganache works beautifully, here I have given the recipe for a simple chocolate butter cream.

Makes 12 fairy cakes

Ingredients

100g Caster Sugar

100g Soft Butter (spreadable is fine)

2 Large Eggs

60-70g Self-Raising Flour

30-40g Cocoa

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Salt

For the Chocolate Butter Cream

100g Dark Chocolate

100g Soft Butter

200g Icing Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1-2 tablespoons Milk

• Preheat the oven to 200C (fan) and put 12 fairy cake cases into a bun tin.
• Weigh your eggs then weigh the same amount of caster sugar, butter and flour/cocoa mix (I normally aim for two thirds flour to one third cocoa).
• Tip the caster sugar and the butter into a mixing bowl or the bowl of a mixer and whisk until fluffy and visibly paler.
• Break the eggs in then tip in the flour and the cocoa, add the salt and the vanilla extract then whisk on slow to combine until creamy.
• Spoon the mixture into the cake cases and bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes.  The cakes will be risen, dark and cracked on the top and feel firm to the touch.  Set aside to cool completely before icing.
• To make the butter cream, melt the chocolate either in a microwave or in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water.  When melted whisk in the butter then gradually add the icing sugar, adding the vanilla then the milk until it is a soft cream.
• Ice the cakes and top with any decoration you like, I often use bashed up chocolate bars, something with a bit of crunch is good!