Mocha Buns

These beautiful chocolate cakes with just a hint of coffee are a personal favourite of my Aunty Claire. The butterfly wings although slightly tricky to make are a cute touch to these buns.

Ingredients:
For the buns:

• 100g (4oz) softened butter
• 100g (4oz) golden caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 75g (3oz) self raising flour
• 25g (1oz) cocoa powder
• 1 tbs of strong hot coffee

For the buttercream:

• 50g (2oz) softened butter
• 100g  (4oz) icing sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas mark 4). Line a muffin tray with 12 paper cupcake cases.
• Cream the butter and the sugar. Add the eggs 1 at a time, pour in the coffee and mix well.
• Sift the flour and cocoa powder and fold them in.
• Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases and bake for 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
• Take the buns out of the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack tray. Meanwhile make the buttercream.
• Sift the icing sugar into a bowl add the butter and vanilla essence, beat till smooth.
• Using a sharp knife carefully cut a circle from the top of each cake. Cut each circle in half through the middle.
• Spread some buttercream in the hole in each cake and gently push the half circles in to form wings.

If you want you can double the recipe and make a big mocha cake, just bake for slightly longer.