White Chocolate Mud Graduation Cupcakes

These cupcakes are super cute and very simple to make. They are perfect as a gift for someone graduating or to serve at a graduation party!

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Ingredients (makes ~20 cupcakes)
2 cups plain flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
250g butter, chopped
1 cup milk
2 cups caster sugar
150g white chocolate melts
2 eggs, whisked
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

White chocolate ganache frosting
½ cup cream
300g white chocolate melts
~ 2 cups icing sugar

To decorate
20 squares of thin dark chocolate
20 Maltesers
20 small pieces of black liquorice, cut to look like tassles

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Method
Fill cupcake tins with 20 large patty pans.

Sift flour & baking powder in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and set aside.

Put butter, milk, caster sugar and white chocolate into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously until the chocolate and butter have melted, and the sugar has fully dissolved. Remove from heat and cool until just warm.

Preheat the oven to 155°C.

Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the cooled chocolate mixture and stir until just combined. Pour into the well in the flour, and gently mix until combined.

Divide mixture evenly between cupcake cases (filled almost to the top, they don’t rise much). Bake for approx. 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool completely on wire racks before icing.

While the cakes cool, divide your chocolate squares (if needed) and cut the liquorice to make tassels of an appropriate size for your chocolate squares.

To make the frosting, melt the white chocolate and add the cream. Stir to combine. Add the icing sugar, half a cup at a time, until desired consistency reached.

Ice the cupcakes with the frosting and then top with a Malteser just off-centre. Attach a liquorice tassel to each chocolate square using left over frosting (make sure you wipe away any excess that may leak out) and then sit the ‘hat’ on an angle on top of the Malteser.

Enjoy!

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