Areo Cupcakes

Preheat your oven to 180C. Line a 12 hole bun tray with some nice bun cases.

Stir the hot water with the cocoa powder and mix until smooth, leave to cool.

Sift the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt together in a mixing bowl.

In another bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Crack in the eggs one at a time and beat generously after each egg-y addition.

Add the sifted flour and its powdered friends. Then pour in the cocoa powder mix, beat together.

Spoon the mixture into your bun cases. Bake in you preheated oven for 15-18 minutes.

. Leave on the tray for 5 minutes of so (just so they can cool down so you can then handle them) and the place on a wire cooling rack. Leave until completely cool.

Meanwhile you can make the icing. Cream the butter and gradually add the sugar, it should be smooth, creamy and quite light. Add the extract and colouring, do this to taste, but the quantities I give are a guideline. Pipe this onto the cold cupcakes in a swirl. Pop into the fridge so the icing can harden up.

Whilst this is happening melt the chocolate. You can do this in a microwave or over boiling water.

Pour the chocolate in a deep bowl. Then take your cupcakes (which should have firmed in the fridge) and dip the top into the chocolate (if you find this idea a little precarious, then just spoon some melted chocolate over the top). Leave to set at room temperature, as putting chocolate in the fridge can make in dull.