Purple velvet cupcakes with blackberry frosting

• blackberries↗300g g

  plus 12 extra for decoration

• butter↗100g g
• milk chocolate↗100g g

  broken into chunks

• self-raising flour↗225g g
• golden caster sugar↗175g g
• cocoa powder↗2 tbsp tbsp
• large eggs↗2

  beaten

• red or purple artificial food colouringa little

  a little

• unsalted butter↗100g g

  at room temperature

• icing sugar↗400g g

  sifted

• vanilla extract↗1 tsp tsp

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. Roughly crush half the blackberries with a fork so the juice is running but there are still some chunky bits. Gently melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan. Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Put the kettle on.

2. 2

   Scrape the butter-chocolate mixture and eggs into the dry ingredients with the crushed blackberries and 100ml boiling water. Mix together until smooth, then add a little food colouring to boost the red/purple hue. Divide between the muffin cases and bake for 15 mins until risen and a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean. Lift from the tin onto a wire rack and cool completely.

3. 3

   Whizz the remaining 150g blackberries to a purée. Beat the butter, icing sugar and vanilla together until really pale and fluffy – about 5 mins. Sieve the remaining blackberry purée and gently fold into the icing. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with your favourite nozzle and pipe a generous amount onto each cupcake – removing the paper case first if you want to show the colour of the sponge. Top each with a fresh blackberry and enjoy.