I love baking muffins as they’re so quick and easy to throw together and stick in the oven. Though these are really more like cupcakes as I used butter in them.

A quick and easy all in one sponge mix with butter, caster sugar, self raising flour and free range eggs to start with. Then the batter is divided into two. One half is flavoured with cocoa powder, the other with espresso powder.

Then you grab two teaspoons and take it in turns to scoop both flavours into 12 muffin cases. I’ve been very impressed with these plain brown muffin cases from Asda as they’re not greasy and do not peel away from the cake.

I thought the muffins looked a bit plain and boring on top so I drizzled the tops with melted dark chocolate.

These muffins make a perfect Monday morning (or any other day!) treat with a cup of coffee. They’re great to share with friends or to take for the staff room at work.

Ingredients:

250g softened butter

250g caster sugar

250g sifted self raising flour

4 medium free range eggs

1 tbsp cocoa powder mixed to a paste with 1 tbsp boiling water

1 tbsp espresso coffee powder mixed to a paste with 1tbsp boiling water

100g bar dark chocolate (to drizzle)

• Put the butter, sugar, flour and eggs into a large mixing bowl and beat with a hand held electric mixer for three to four minutes.

• Divide the mixture equally between two smaller bowls. Put the coffee paste into one bowl and mix thoroughly. Do the same for the chocolate paste.

• Take it in turns to spoon the two different flavour batters into prepared muffin cases in a 12 hole muffin tin. Use a skewer to gently swirl them together for the marble pattern.

• Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until light and springy to touch. Put on a wire rack to cool.

• Melt the dark chocolate in your preferred way. I always melt mine in the microwave and take it out after a minute, stir it and put it in for another 30 seconds.

• Use a disposable piping bag with a tiny bit off the end snipped off. Fill with the melted chocolate and use to drizzle the chocolate all over the muffins.

• Leave to set or eat straightaway depending how hungry you are! The muffins should keep for about 3-4 days in an airtight container (if they last that long!)