Chocolate mousse cupcakes

I made these for my Dad's birthday last year - they are so much nicer than regular chocolate cupcakes (apart from the amazing mocha ones of course - check sidebar for recipe!) which can often be a bit dry and heavy. These are so light, as it involves a lot of egg white whisking like making chocolate mousse. I love how you use 1/4 - 1/2 of the mixture to frost the cupcakes as well, for a rich icing, so no need to use any different ingredients to make a frosting. 

Makes 12 cupcakes (I halved the recipe when I made them and it made 8!)

Ingredients:

- 4 heaped tbsp plain flour

- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp salt, plus a pinch for the egg whites

- 300g dark chocolate

- 250g unsalted butter

- 6 eggs, separated

- 200g sugar

- grated chocolate for decoration (I used dark and white chocolate for this)

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees/gas mark 4.

2. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

3. Melt the chocolate and butter (in a pan, or bowl in microwave), until just melted - do not cook!

4. Beat egg yolks and sugar in another bowl until light yellow and foamy. Beat in the melted chocolate mixture until blended.

5. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Gently fold into the chocolate mixture. Divide this into two parts and put one in the fridge to be used later to frost the cupcakes. Gently whisk the flour mixture into the other half, until completely absorbed.

6. Fill cupcake cases about 2/3 full with the batter, and bake for 15-20 minutes - the cupcakes should be just cooked and moist in the centre. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack.

7. When they are cool, frost with remaining chocolate mousse and garnish with grated chocolate, or chocolate sprinkles.

Enjoy :)