Candy Cane Cupcakes

Directions

1. 1
   Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a 12-count cupcake tray with liners.
2. 2
   Place butter and sugar into a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed. Add eggs, vanilla and peppermint extracts, scraping down the sides as necessary, and mix until well incorporated.
3. 3
   Place flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, if using, into a medium-sized bowl and stir briefly to combine. Add the flour into the egg mixture and mix on low until it begins to incorporate, then stop mixing and add the milk. Mix on low-medium speed until the batter is smooth and well combined.
4. 4
   Add in the dark chocolate chips and fold in with a wooden spoon or spatula. Divide the batter between each cupcake liner, filling each one 3/4 full.
5. 5
   Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until risen and an inserted skewer into the centre comes out clean.
6. 6
   Transfer to a wire rack as soon as possible to stop the liners getting greasy and peeling away from the cakes. Leave to cool completely, before making the frosting.
7. 7
   For the frosting, place butter into a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Add icing sugar, peppermint extract and salt in and mix on low until it begins to combine. Once it starts to combine and there's no risk of the icing dust cloud, turn the speed up to medium-high and beat until well combined.
8. 8
   Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have desired consistency. You want it to hold its shape, but be smooth in texture. It needs to be soft enough to pipe, but thick enough to hold the shape you pipe. Half fill a piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle and pipe a swirl onto each cooled cupcake.
9. 9
   Place candy canes into a Ziploc bag and bash with the end of a rolling pin until you have candy cane rubble. Some small crumbs and slightly larger pieces are fine. Sprinkle candy cane rubble onto each cupcake as a garnish.
10. 10
    Candy Cane Cupcakes will keep in an airtight container, in the fridge for 5 days, or at room temperature for 3 days.