Lily Vanilli Fairtrade Devil's Food Ale Cakes

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 115 g unsalted organic butter (at room temperature)
• 45 g divine fairtrade cocoa
• 155 g fairtrade ale (honey ale)
• 170 g organic plain flour (sifted)
• 1 pinch salt
• 2/3 teaspoon baking soda
• 225 g tate & lyle fairtrade caster sugar
• 1 large free-range organic egg (at room temperature)
• 100 ml organic buttermilk
• 12 paper, cupcake cases
• 85 g/ 3 fl.ozs. fairtrade honey ale (3/8 cup)
• 15 g fairtrade cocoa
• 115 g unsalted organic butter (at room temperature)
• 340 g tate & lyle fairtrade icing sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fairtrade vanilla essence
• handful toasted fairtrade brazil nut (optional)

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 180c.
• 2 bring ale to the boil in a saucepan. remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa.
• 3 leave to cool until it reaches room temperature.
• 4 sift together the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.
• 5 cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixture until very light and fluffy (about 5 mins).
• 6 add the egg and beat until just incorporated.
• 7 beat in the cooled ale/cocoa mixture.
• 8 add the sifted dry mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk in two parts - beginning and ending with the dry and beating after each addition.
• 9 spoon the batter into a baking tray lined with cupcake cases (2/3 of the way full).
• 10 bake in preheated oven for 15 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• 11 cool briefly in the pans and then transfer to a wire rack until cooled completely.
• 12 frosting.
• 13 boil ale in a saucepan, remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa.
• 14 allow to cool completely - transfer to a bowl and place in the fridge if necessary.
• 15 beat the butter until smooth add the vanilla, ale/cocoa mixture and half the icing sugar and continue to beat.
• 16 gradually add all of the sugar - beating continuously until you reach a consistency you like.
• 17 spread onto cooled cupcakes and top with shavings of fairtrade.
• 18 chocolate and brazil nuts.