I’ve recently discovered a secret weapon in making healthy treats - agave nectar.  It’s a natural syrup, much sweeter than honey and it has a low glycaemic index so these buns don’t give you such a sugar high!

Agave nectar is available from most big supermarkets in the whole foods, baking or preserve aisles.

Ingredients

100g butter

100ml agave nectar

2 eggs

100g self-raising wholemeal flour

Quarter teaspoonful of baking powder

3-4 dessert spoonfuls of cocoa powder (Green & Black’s cocoa powder)

1-2 table spoonfuls of water/milk

Cupcake cases

A few squares of dark organic chocolate for each cupcake (Green & Black’s preferably)

If you have a blender I recommend throwing in the butter, nectar and eggs and whipping them up.  If you don’t I guess you’ll have to cream together the butter and nectar and then add the eggs and beat them in!

Then fold in the flour, cocoa powder, and also you can use a little bit of water or milk if you think the mix is getting too dry.  Basically when you fold in the flour you should be able to see the bubbles breaking in the mix.  If you are worried about your folding you can always add the full teaspoonful of baking powder (but make sure they don’t rise too high!)

Fill your cupcake cases (delicately placed in a cupcake tray) about two thirds full, but...

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees.  For perfect buns... I recommend popping one in the oven and see how it comes out - every oven is different and if it doesn’t rise you can still mix a little extra baking powder into the rest of the mix.  Try twelve minutes, then test with a knife to see if it’s still gooey - if it is, pop it back in.

Now for the topping - the easiest icing in the world!  Just pop a couple of squares of dark chocolate on top of the buns, while they’re still hot and they’ll just melt over and into the buns.  Best eaten while hot!