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1
Preheat oven to 350 F and line a 12 hole cupcake tin with paper liners. (You may have enough batter to make 14, I just put 2 extra liners on the tray and didn't worry that they weren't perfect cupcake shapes!)
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2
Place the butter and sugar into a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium-high speed. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until well incorporated, about 1 minute on medium-high speed.
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3
Place the cocoa powder, plain flour, baking powder and salt into a medium sized bowl and stir until combined and there are no lumps of cocoa powder.
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4
Tip the flour mix into your egg mixture and add in the buttermilk. Mix until well incorporated and smooth, 45 seconds-1 minute on medium-high speed.
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5
Place the baking soda into a small glass and add in the vinegar, stir until it stops fizzing. Tip this into your cake mixture and mix until well combined.
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6
Add in your pink food colouring, a little at a time, mixing in-between additions until you have the desired shade of pink. Be aware that when they bake the colour could become kind of brown.
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7
Divide the batter between your cupcake liners and fill each one 3/4 full. Place in the oven for 18-22 minutes until risen, springy to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
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8
Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack almost immediately. Yes they're hot, but this stops the liners from peeling away from the cupcakes.
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9
Leave to cool completely, before making the frosting.
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10
For the frosting: Place the chocolate chips and butter into a heatproof bowl and place in the microwave, in 20 second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Leave to cool for 25 minutes.
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11
Once cooled, pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl/the bowl of your stand mixer. Add in the vanilla. Mix briefly. Add in your sifted icing sugar and mix on low until it starts to combine (to avoid a huge icing dust cloud) and then turn the speed up to medium and mix until smooth and fluffy.
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12
If frosting is too thick, add milk 1/2 tablespoon at a time until you have a soft, creamy consistency.
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13
Spoon frosting onto each cupcake and smooth with the back of a spoon/small spatula. Tip: Dip the spoon/spatula into warm water before smoothing over the cupcake. This ensures a smooth finish and makes it easier to work with.
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14
Once all the cupcakes are frosted, decorate with marshmallows (I used heart shaped) and add any sprinkles you want!
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15
Cupcakes will keep in an airtight container, at room temperature for 4 days.
