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• Chocolate and physalis cupcakes
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  • • INGREDIENTS

      • 2 tsp lemon juice
      • 175 ml milk
      • 175g plain flour
      • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
      • 50g cocoa powder
      • 75g unsalted butter, softened
      • 175g dark muscovado sugar
      • 2 large eggs, beaten
      • 6 physalis

      For the chocolate frosting

      • 200g dark chocolate
      • 150ml full fat soured cream
      • 18 physalis

      Method

      1. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and line muffin or bun trays with 18 paper cases.
      2. Stir the lemon juice into the milk and set aside. Sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder together.
      3. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy and then gradually beat in the muscovado sugar. Beat in the eggs a little at a time and then fold in the flour mixture alternately with the milk. Remove physalis from their paper-like wrappers, chop and stir in.
      4. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until a skewer pushed into the centre of a cake comes out clean. Cool in the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
      5. To make the frosting, chop 175 g (6 oz) of the chocolate, place in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Leave until melted, stirring occasionally until smooth. Stir in the soured cream and chill, if necessary, until firm enough to spread over the tops of the cupcakes. If you chill the frosting for too long and it becomes too thick, microwave it for 1 minute on low power to soften, stirring well before using.
      6. Grate the remaining chocolate and sprinkle over the cupcakes. Decorate each with a whole physalis with its papery covering folded back.