Devil –dark and just as sinful yet very easy, uses everyday ingredients and works equally well as an afternoon treat with coffee or tea, or as dessert if served with a dollop of crème fraiche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.   Recipe yields 12 – 16 muffins, depending on how generously you fill the muffin cups. Golden syrup imparts a distinctive flavour and makes a very moist cake. The tray I use to bake these has narrower and deeper cups than normal muffin trays and the cakes come out looking like mushrooms. Now you know.

Preparation: 15 minutes    Bake: 15 minutes     Serves: 6  - 8

150 g (1 teacup) soft butter at room temperature                    
220 g  (1 1/3 teacups) sugar                                                              
45 ml (3 Tbsp) golden syrup (preferably Lyle’s) or maple syrup  
3 small eggs 
100 g (1 teacup) plain (all-purpose) flour                                  
40 g (2/3 teacup) cocoa                                                              
1 tsp baking powder                                               
1/2 tsp baking soda                                                    
Desired amount icing (confectioner’s) sugar for dusting  
  • Preheat oven at 180 C. Grease a 12 cup (hole) muffin tray.
  • Cream butter, sugar and golden syrup till fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is well incorporated before adding the next.
  • Combine the flour, cocoa powder and leavening agents and sift half over the creamed mixture. Gently stir flour in with a whisk. Repeat with remaining flour mixture
  • Put 4 heaped teaspoons of batter into each muffin cup. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and wait 5 minutes before removing from oven. Wait 5 minutes then run a knife round the edge of each cake before turning out of tray. Dust tops with sifted icing sugar for a decorative effect, if desired.
Note : For a loaf cake, bake batter for 40 – 45 minutes in a greased and lined 10cm (4“) by 23 cm (9“)loaf tin. The centre, whether baked as a loaf or muffins will sink a little because of the moisture content of the batter. I used a dark coloured baking tray. If your tray is aluminium or any light coloured metal, add another 3 - 5 minutes to the baking time. To measure out golden syrup easily and accurately, dip spoon in very hot water before spooning out syrup, each time.