Ingredients

• 100g dark chocolate, chopped
• 125g butter, chopped, at room temperature
• 215g (1 cup) caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 150g (1 cup) self-raising flour
• 50g (1 ⁄ 3 cup) plain flour
• 2 tablespoons Dutch cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 2 x 330g pkts store-bought royal icing
• Purple, blue, pink and black food colouring, to tint
• Edible glitter or silver shimmer dust, to decorate
• Silver cachous (optional), to decorate

Method

• Step 1 Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan forced. Line twelve 80ml (1 ⁄3 cup) muffin pans with paper cases.
• Step 2 Place chocolate, butter, sugar, vanilla and 160ml (2/3 cup) water in a saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until smooth. Set aside at room temperature to cool.
• Step 3 Sieve the flours and cocoa into a large bowl. Whisk eggs into the cooled chocolate mixture. Whisk flour mixture into chocolate mixture. Spoon into prepared cases. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Step 4 To make the icing, prepare royal icing following packet directions. Place half of the icing in a medium bowl and tint with black food colouring, stirring well to combine. Divide remaining icing among 4 small bowls. Tint with purple, blue and pink food colourings, leaving one portion white.
• Step 5 Dollop all 4 colours into the black icing and swirl gently with a skewer. Dip the top of each cupcake into the icing to coat, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl. Return the cupcakes to the wire rack. Sprinkle with glitter or dust, and a few cachous, if you like. Set aside for 20 minutes to allow the icing to set.