What does love feel like? When I was 15 and fell in love for the first time with a thud and a clang it made me feel sky high. A heady combination akin to gas and air, red wine and altitude sickness. Food repelled me, so satiating was this new sensation. Concentration was not mine. I had face ache from smiling too much. I was of course the first person to discover this feeling and NOBODY understood.
And of course when he ditched me for an older girl who was altogether more exciting, with raven hair, a flat of her own and a beaten up denim jacket with untold stains that told hair raising stories, well I thought the very core of me was dropping through to my feet, never to be returned again. It hurt. So much. Physically. Ouch.
Thank goodness that pain was never to be repeated. The only good thing to have come from this experience? I am truly empathetic to heartbreak. Come those teenage years I will never, ever, ever tell my sons to ‘get a grip’ in the face of gut wrenching love sickness.
I offer you Love cupcakes. The crunch of the simple, pure chocolate, the softness of the sponge and the surprise caramel centre make these perfect for surprising the one you love. Just make sure they’re worthy of your affections. And beware of raven haired temptresses beginning with the letter S.
One year ago: Obviously good flapjack and Joyful banana, butterscotch and fig traybake
Two years ago: Light and sweet carrot cake and Rhubarb and ginger chutney
Chocolate topped vanilla cupcakes with secret caramel centres
Makes 12
Ingredients:
- 140g self raising flour
- 35g ground almonds
- 175g castor sugar
- 175g baking margarine/butter
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Approx 60g caramel
- 100g milk chocolate
- 100g dark chocolate
- Decorations
Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas 3 and check there’s a rack in the middle of the oven. Then beat the flour, almonds, sugar, marg/butter, eggs and vanilla together until light and creamy. Takes about 4 minutes in a stand mixer. More by hand with a wooden spoon. Divide between 12 cupcakes cases lining your tin and then bake in the centre of the oven until just starting to brown and when a toothpick comes out of the middle cupcake clean. Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
When cool take an apple corer and remove the centres of the cakes, being careful not to go all the way down to the bottom. If you accidentally do remove the whole plug of cake then cut a bit off and poke it back into the cake hole. No one will know.
Carefully pour a teaspoon of tinned caramel (or make your own if you fancy it – loads of recipes to be found on the internet) into each hole and then use a toothpick or skewer to poke the caramel down.
It’s so gloopy it may well get stuck on the top so help it along with a poke and a jiggle. And as for leftover caramel… use it to fill a victoria sponge. To make ice-cream sundaes. To make banoffee mini pavs. Or just eat. Or slather it on your hair as a conditioner. I don’t actually know if this last idea works but it might do.
Then melt your chocolate in the microwave or over boiling water, you know what kind of melter you are. Carefully spoon a teaspoon onto each cake, then a little more if the Love Cake can take it. Pop whatever decoration you have on the top and leave to set. Eat with love, with people you love.
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Holly Bell 
I can’t see a ‘raven haired temptress’ making it to the final of the GBBO anytime soon so one man’s loss is Mr Bell’s considerable gain…a pint of the last laugh anyone? ;-)
Who knows what happened to ‘S’ the temptress… actually I could easily find out but I prefer to think of her as working on the reduced department in Show Fayre and lamenting the day she stole my love from me! x
How do you manage to get such flat tops on your cakes?
Just follow the recipe – this provides enough mixture for 12 large cupcake cases meaning they shouldn’t be anything over 3/4 full. Plus the oven should be 170C – get an oven thermometer if your cupcakes are peaking even at such a low temp. Your oven might be baking higher than you think. Hope that helps. x