🧁 Rustic Chocolate Cupcakes with Gooey Center & Spoon-Frosted Tops

No piping bags. No perfect swirls. Just rich chocolate cupcakes made in a real kitchen — with an imperfect dome, cracks on top, and that dangerously fudgy center you eat straight off the spoon. The kind of cupcake that looks homemade and tastes like comfort.

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📝 Ingredients (makes 8–10):

For the cupcakes:
• ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter
• ¾ cup (150g) sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup (120ml) milk
• ¾ cup (95g) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• Optional: small spoonful of chocolate ganache or Nutella in the center before baking

For the frosting:
• ¾ cup (170g) butter, softened
• ½ cup (40g) cocoa powder
• 1½ cups (180g) powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp milk
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

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🔥 Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a muffin tray with paper liners.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add dry mix to wet, alternating with milk. Don’t overmix.
5. Optional: Fill liners halfway, add 1 tsp of Nutella/ganache, then cover with more batter.
6. Bake for 18–20 minutes until tops are cracked and a bit uneven — that’s the charm.
7. Cool, then slather frosting on top with a spoon. Let it drip, smear, and look messy.
8. Sprinkle flaky salt or crushed chocolate if desired.

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