Chocolate Cupcakes with Hazelnut Topping

Browsing through numerous book for cupcakes recipes and this particular one caught my attention with it's beautiful presentation.  I have never tried any recipe from this book - The Golden Book of Chocolate where I got it from a bookfair years ago. I made some slight modification and glad that it still turned out well.  

Moist, soft, chocolaty and nutty cupcakes frosted generously with nutella are so irresistable!

Recipe Source: The Golden Book of Chocolate by Page One

Chocolate Cupcakes with Hazelnut Topping
Ingredients: (makes 15 cupcakes)
90g Bittersweet Dark Chocolate
100g Plain Flour
125g Cake Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/8 tsp Salt
125g Unsaltd Butter (softened)
180g Castor Sugar
2 tbsp Light Corn Sugar (or golden syrup)
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tbsp Rum Liquor
1/2 cup (125ml) Sour Cream

Topping:
Nutella Spread
15 Fresh Raspberries
Toasted Hazelnuts

Method:

Preheat oven at 180 deg C, line the muffin tray with cupcake casing or 15 baking cups

1. Sieve flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.

2. Melt chocolate in a double boiler over barely simmering water. Let it cool a little.

3. Beat butter, sugar and corn syrup at medium speed until pale and creamy.

4. Add egg one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition.

5. Beat in chocolate, vanilla and  rum.

6. With mixer on low speed, gradually beat in mixed dry ingredients, alternating with the sour cream.

7. Divide the batter evenly among the paper cups, filling each one about two-thirds full.

8. Bake for 15-20 mins or till cooked.

9. Cool cupcakes on a wire rack.

10. Spread each cupcake with generous amount of nutella spread.
11. Top each one with a couple of toasted hazelnuts and a fresh raspberry.

I will be submitting this post to  Aspiring Bakers #13: Enjoy Cupcakes! (November 2011) hosted by Min of Min's Blog.