Chilli Chocolate Ginger Cupcakes - Gourmet Garden's Blog Off Cook Off

Gourmet Garden are the the producer of fresh herbs and spices easy for weekday cooking.  Their passion is organically-grown herbs and spices packaged in a convenient squeezable tube that lasts for up to 3 months in your fridge.  They are currently running a Blog Off Cook Off competition where one lucky blogger can win a trip to Australia and a whopping £3000!

Using some of their great range of fresh herbs and spices, I have to develop and make a recipe to be judged by the great Rosemary Shrager.

So here we go - here's one of my entries to the fantastic Gourmet Garden's Blog Off Cook Off competition.

Chilli Chocolate Ginger Cupcakes  - makes 12

Cupcakes
140g self raising flour
115g unsalted butter (softened) or liquid Stork margarine
115g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 medium eggs
1 tbsp Gourmet Garden ginger

Buttercream
200g icing sugar, sifted
100g unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp cocoa powder mixed with 1 tbsp hot water (cooled)
1 tsp Gourmet Garden chilli
12 strawberries, washed and wiped

1. Add all of the cupcake ingredients to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 3-5 minutes until all the ingredients are well combined.
2. Divide between 12 large cupcake/muffin cases and bake in a preheated oven (Gas 4) for 12-15 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire cooling rack.
4. For the buttercream; beat the icing sugar and butter for 5-6 minutes until pale, light and fluffy.  Add the cooled cocoa powder/water and the chilli - mix until well combined.
5. Pipe swirls of the buttercream on top of the cooled cupcakes and top with a fan-cut strawberry.
6. Serve and enjoy!