My Favourite Chocolate Muffins

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Ingredients

100g (4oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces, plus an extra 50 g (2oz) to decorate
175g (6 oz) unsalted butter
225g (8oz) caster sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
225g (8oz) self-raising flour
20g (3/4oz) cocoa powder
a pinch of salt
For the Chocolate Buttercream Icing
70g (2 1/2oz) unsalted butter, softened
150g (5oz) icing sugar, sifted
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3 and line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper cases.
Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (don’t allow the base of the bowl to touch the water). Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Beat the sugar and eggs in a bowl until thick & creamy, then fold into the cooled chocolate mixture. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and salt and whisk for a further 20 seconds.
Divide the batter evenly between the paper cases. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until well risen and just firm in the middle. Leave to cool for a few minutes in the muffin tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the icing, beat the softened butter with half of the icing sugar until smooth, then add the remaining sugar, cocoa powder and milk. Whisk until fluffy.
Pipe or spread the buttercream icing onto the muffins, then chop or grate the remaining 50g (20z) chocolate to decorate the tops.