Chocolate and Orange Fairy Cakes

Originally from Leith's Recipe of the Day but with a couple of adaptions. I like to use whole nut chocolate. These are recipes I've kept for years, used time and time again and then moved house. I lost them six years ago and found them recently. It's like finding old much-loved friends. I want them safe. Please computer, don't die!

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 170  g butter
• 170  g caster sugar
• 3  eggs
• 170  g self-raising flour
• 85  g chocolate (drops)
• 2  oranges, juice and zest of

• Orange icing

• 110  g icing sugar, sifted
• 1  orange, juice and zest of

• Chocolate icing

• 200  g chocolate, chopped
• 50  ml milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C.
2. Line 2 muffin pans (12 hole) with paper cases.
3. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Mix eggs together in a separate bowl and gradually beat into creamed mixture a little at a time, adding 1 tablespoon of flour if the mixture begins to curdle.
5. Stir in chocolate and orange zest.
6. Fold in flour, adding orange juice to bring mixture to a dropping consistency.
7. Divide mixture between cases so each is two-thirds full.
8. Bake in middle of oven for about 20 minutes or until the cakes are well risen, golden and feel spongy to fingertips.
9. Cool on a wire rack.
10. Make icing.
11. Orange: Place icing sugar and orange zest in a bowl, add enough orange juice to mix to a fairly stiff consistency.
12. Icing should hold a trail when dropped from a spoon but gradually find its own level.
13. It needs little liquid.
14. Chocolate: Melt chocolate and milk together.
15. (I use a microwave oven for this- take care, chocolate burns easily.) Stir well to mix.
16. Ice cakes with orange icing and swirl the chocolate on top.