Chocolate Cupcakes

In a fitting post to follow one about vanilla cupcakes, I present to you another staple: chocolate cupcakes, chocolate frosting. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of chocolate-on-chocolate action, but both of these recipes are good paired with other recipes. I actually like chocolate cupcakes with my vanilla buttercream; they compliment each other and produce a cookies-and-cream effect.

I should say that it took a while to find a good chocolate cupcake. I want a cupcake that rich and fudgy. The fats and use of cream in this recipe provides that delicious rich texture.

Chocolate Cupcakes, Chocolate Frosting

  2/3 cup cocoa powder

  1/2 cup hot coffee 

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

  3/4 tsp salt

    1 tsp baking powder

 

  1/2 cup butter, melted

  1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil 

1 3/4 cup granulated sugar

    2 large eggs

    2 large egg yolks

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

   

  1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two muffin tins with 20 cupcake liners. In a medium sized bowl, combine cocoa powder and coffee until blended. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, oil, and sugar, beating until blended, about 2-3 minutes on medium speed. Add in eggs and egg yolks, mixing after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Add in the cocoa mixture, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

Mix in the cream alternately with the flour mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached.

Chocolate Frosting

1 cups salted butter, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar + 1/4 cup cocoa powder
8 oz quality dark or extra dark chocolate, chopped, melted and slightly cooled
1 tbsp vanilla
2-3 tbsp whipping cream

Combine the powdered sugar and cocoa in a bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the confectioner's sugar mixture about 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low, stream in the melted and cooled chocolate. Add in the vanilla and 1 tbsp of whipping cream. Beat to combine, check the texture, and add more cream as necessary. 

Vanilla Cupcakes

Why not start with the basics? The cupcakes are delicious, the frosting is out of this world, and the filling is so very versatile.

Vanilla Cupcakes
yield: about 16 cupcakes

    2 cups all-purpose flour
  3/4 tsp baking powder
  1/2 tsp baking soda
  1/2 tsp salt

    1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar

    3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
    1 tbsp vanilla extract

  2/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2, 12-cup cupcake tins with 16 paper liners.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla extract and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don't be concerned.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

Pour the batter evenly into the cupcake tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Remove the center of the cupcakes and pipe in the following pastry cream.

Vanilla Pastry Cream

    1 cup half & half
    2 tsp vanilla

  1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
    3 large egg yolks

    2 tbsp butter

In a medium saucepan, bring the half & half, vanilla, and 3 tbsp of sugar to a simmer over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining sugar, cornstarch, a pinch of salt, and egg yolks until smooth. Temper the egg yolks by gradually whisking in about 1/2 cup of the hot half & half mixture. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan, reduce the heat to medium, and whisk constantly for about 30 seconds to a minute. The mixture will thicken very quickly.

Remove the pastry cream from the heat and whisk in the butter. Pour through a sieve and into a bowl, letting it cool. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. Use as a filling in the vanilla cupcakes by removing the center of a cupcake and piping in the pastry cream. Frost with the frosting recipe that follows.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

  1 cup salted butter, softened
  4 cups confectioner's sugar
  1 tbsp vanilla
4-5 tbsp heavy cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Next, beat in the confectioner's sugar, one cup at a time, beating completely until all four cups are incorporated. Mix in the vanilla followed by the cream. Add in the cream one tablespoonful at a time until it reaches the consitency you're looking for. Personally, I mixed in four tablespoons.

Notes

• My Vanilla Pastry Cream has, to date, filled a shortbread crust topped with strawberries and kiwis, been altered slightly into both a coconut pastry cream and a chocolate pastry cream, filled cream puffs (a combination pate choux and puff pastry concoction), etc... Like I said, it's a very versatile, and nearly foolproof, recipe.
• Use salted butter in the buttercream frosting. The salt in the butter brings out the sweetness of the frosting and actually contrasts with that very sweetness. I have yet to find a frosting recipe that combines salt with unsalted butter to such a similar effect, but salted butter seems to work perfectly every time. I have been converted to a user of salted butter in many of my frostings; the results are incredibly tasty and worth a try!

Crusty Bread

I came across this recipe for crusty bread from a friend on Facebook. So long as you have a dutch oven or any pot with a lid that can be put into an oven, this recipe is amazingly simple. The result is delicious crusty, chewy bread.

Rustic French Boule 

yield: 1 loaf of bread
  
    3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 3/4 tsp salt

  1/2 tsp highly active, "rapid-rise" yeast

1 1/2 cups water

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and yeast.  Add water and mix until combined. It will be messy and more than a little unmanageable. 

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours.

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball. Don't knead the dough; simply shape it into a ball. Place the ball of dough on a piece of parchment. The parchment will make transferring the dough and removing the finished bread very easy. Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating. 

Remove hot pot from the oven and transfer the dough and parchment to the dutch oven. If the parchment hangs outside the lid, that's perfectly fine.  Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool. 

Notes:

• Variations abound with this recipe. Plain is perfectly fine on its own, but it's fun to experiment.
• Rosemary Garlic: Add 1 tbsp of chopped, fresh rosemary and two cloves of minced garlic and you have a delicious, savory bread that's delicious with dinner.
• Cranberry Orange: Add 1 tbsp sugar, 1 cup dried cranberries, and the zest of one organic orange to the flour for a fruity bread that tastes delicious spread with lemon curd or toasted and eaten quickly while still hot.
• Honey Whole Wheat: use 3 cups of white whole wheat pastry flour (King Arthur brand worked wonderfully) and add 1.5 tbsp of honey to the water when you mix the ingredients together.
• Rye: use 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup white whole wheat, and 1 cup rye flour. Add 1 tbsp caraway seeds with flour, salt, and yeast. (You can totally just use Rye and all-purpose flour too, I just happened to have white whole wheat and thought it worked out really well).

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Pumpkin is very much like beans, tomatoes (for some uses), and corn: I have no problem using the canned version of this product because either it is out of season or, if it is in season, using it in its freshest form requires a labor-intesive process for relatively little return. Canned pumpkin is one of my pantry staples, and this is perhaps one of the most delicious and common ways I use it: pumpkin pie oatmeal.

Don't let the list of spices sound daunting. If you have pumpkin pie spice on hand, simply use 1 1/2 tbsp of it. Or frankly, you can simply use cinnamon in a pinch. 

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

yield: 4 servings

   1 15-oz can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

   3 cups water

     pinch of salt

   1 cup steel-cut oats 

 1/4 cup brown sugar, plus more to taste

   1 tbsp cinnamon

 1/2 tsp ginger

 1/4 tsp nutmeg

 1/4 tsp cloves

 1/4 tsp allspice

Open the can of pumpkin and, using a rubber spatula, spread it onto 4 paper towels that are folded over. Layer more paper towels to draw out some of the moisture from the pumpkin. The goal is to remove some, not all, of the moisture. Trust me, it won't stick to the paper towels and it won't add unnecessary liquid to the final product.

Bring 3 cups of water and salt to a boil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the oats, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 5-7 minutes until liquid is absorbed, stirring regularly. Remove from heat.

Add in the desiccated pumpkin, brown sugar, and spices. Test for sweetness and add brown sugar by the tablespoon until you've reached the desired sweetness.

A Swiftly Tilting Cupcake

Biscoff is a type of cinnamon graham cookie that is apparently served on Delta Airlines. It also happens to be the name of a spread made from those very cookies. The spread is like cinnamon and graham flavored peanut butter: similar in texture but with a warm sweetness. The cinnamon in the cake is subtle, but the flavor becomes more pronounced because of the delicious frosting. I contemplated how to use the cookies as a garnish, and the result is cookies inside and out: crush the cookies and roll the cupcakes in them.

I named these cupcakes after a favorite book of mine, A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle because cookies and cupcakes and warmth like this take me back to my childhood, sitting in my room and getting swept up in a good story on a cold, rainy day.

A Swiftly Tilting Cupcake

Act I: Cinnamon Cupcake

yield: about 20 - 24 cupcakes

    3 cups flour

    1 tbsp cinnamon

    1 tsp baking powder

  1/2 tsp baking soda

  1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

    2 cups sugar

    5 extra-large eggs

    1 tbsp vanilla

    1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 muffin tins with 20 - 24 liners. In a large bowl sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium to medium-high speed for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Add in the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Scoop the batter into the muffin tin and fill 3/4 full. Bake at 325 for 25 - 30 minutes or until the tops are light brown, set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Act II: Biscoff Cookie Frosting

  1 cup crunchy Biscoff spread

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 tsp salt

  1 tsp vanilla

  2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

    extra Biscoff cookies, about 10-12, crushed

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and biscoff until combined and smooth. Add in the salt and vanilla. Add the confectioner's sugar alternately with the cream until the frosting is light and fluffy.

You may need to add another tablespoon of cream to reach the desired consistency, but start with 1/4 cup. If you used the crunchy Biscoff, the frosting will not pipe well, so spread on top of the cupcakes and smooth into a dome shape. Roll in crushed Biscoff cookies.

Notes:

• The next time I make these, I will use the smooth Biscoff just to see how the frosting differs. Certainly, it would be easier to pipe into a pleasing shape on top of the cupcake. The confectioner's sugar and/or cream may need to be adjusted to accommodate for the creamy Biscoff.
• "Swiftly tilting" is probably not the best phrase to use in the name of a cupcake, but I just loved that book so much, not to mention A Wrinkle in Time.

Yellow Cake, Chocolate Frosting

Since this blog is new, it seems appropriate to begin at the beginning, my inaugural carrot cake post notwithstanding. Nothing could be more basic than yellow cake with chocolate frosting, yet nothing could be crying out more for something a little special. 

Continuing my philosophy that decorations should be delicious in their own right, a quick batch of chocolate truffles are placed  on top for an extra special touch. I rolled them only in cocoa powder so that they don't seem completely incongruous from the cake itself. And the truffles are quite delicious; I'd highly recommend making them on their own if you need a simple yet elegant dessert.

Yellow Cake, Chocolate Frosting

Act I: Chocolate Truffles

  4 oz semisweet chocolate
  4 oz bittersweet chocolate
0.5 cup heavy cream
0.5 tbsp vanilla
0.5 tbsp prepared coffee

Chop the chocolates finely with a sharp knife. Chopping at a corner of the chocolate is the best way to make quick work of it. Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl.

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just boils. Let it sit for 20 seconds before pouring over the chocolate (just to avoid overheating it). Slowly whisk the chocolate and cream until the mixture is melted and smooth. Add in the vanilla and coffee.

Leave this mixture to set at room temperature for at least an hour, allowing the chocolate to cool and firm up. Using two spoons, scoop out the chocolate and roll it in your hands to make it nearly round. Toss in cocoa powder to coat.

Act II: Yellow Cake

  3 cups all-purpose flour
  1 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp baking soda
0.5 tsp salt

1.5 cups butter (3 sticks), softened
  2 cups sugar
  5 eggs
  1 tbsp vanilla

  1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter two 9-inch cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter and flour the sides of the pans and the parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together, beating at medium speed for 3-5 minutes until pale yellow and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla.

Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Divide into the cake pans and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in their pans for 30 minutes before turning out to cool completely. Frost with the Chocolate Frosting recipe that follows.

Act III: Chocolate Frosting

4 cups powdered sugar

1 cup cocoa

1.5 tsp vanilla

0.5 cups heavy cream

10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
0.25 tsp salt

In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder to blend. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the vanilla and 0.5 cup of cream.


In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and salt until pale yellow and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes on medium speed. Add powdered sugar mixture alternately with the cream mixture, beginning and ending with the powdered sugar, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat until desired spreading consistency is reached, adding the remaining 0.25 cup of cream as necessary. 

Place one layer of cake on your cake stand, cake plate, or whatever you may be using. Spread about one cup of frosting over the cake, spreading to the sides. Top with the other cake layer, and frost the tops and sides of the cake. Decorate with the chocolate truffles however you see fit.

Notes:

• If you do make the truffles on their own, you can add liqueur to the recipe for another layer of flavor: reduce the vanilla to 1 tsp and add in 1 tbsp of a liqueur of your choice (Frangelico and Kahlua are two that work beautifully).
• Additionally, you can toss the truffles in ingredients other than cocoa powder. Coconut, chopped and toasted hazelnuts, and chopped chocolate are some classic options.
• Fun Fact: I keep referring to this as "yellow" cake. This is because of the egg yolks present in the cake. Alternatively, "white cake" uses only egg whites (typically beaten until stiff peaks and folded into the cake just before dividing the batter amongst the pans and baking).

Down the Rabbit Hole Carrot Cake

This cake is a classic with a slight twist, and it's named after the first chapter of one of my favorite novels: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Frosted with a basic, go-to cream cheese frosting, the cake is adorned with pecans that are roasted with the same warm spices found in the cake. Personally, my philosophy on decorations is that they should be simple, understated, and delicious in their own right.

Down the Rabbit Hole Carrot Cake

Act I: Spiced Pecans

   1 egg white
 0.5 tbsp water
 0.5 tsp salt
   2 cups pecan
   6 tbsp sugar
   1 tsp ground cinnamon
 0.5 tsp ground ginger
 0.5 tsp ground cardamom

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Whisk egg white, water, and salt in a large bowl. Add pecans and toss to coat. Let drain in a sieve for 5 minutes.

In another large bowl, mix sugar and spices together. Add drained pecans and toss to coat. Spread pecans evenly on prepared baking sheet and bake until dry and crisp, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking to ensure the pecans bake evenly. Let pecans cool completely, break them apart, and use to decorate the cake. You should have some leftovers to enjoy on their own.

Act II: Carrot Cake

2.75 cups all-purpose flour

 1.5 tsp baking powder

 1.5 tsp baking soda 

   1 tsp salt

   3 tsp ground cinnamon

 1.5 tsp ground ginger*

 .75 tsp ground cardamom*

   1 cup vanilla yogurt

 0.5 cups vegetable oil

   2 cups sugar

   4 large eggs

  

   3 cups grated carrot, from about 5-6 medium carrots*

 1.5 cups finely chopped pecans, toasted

   1 recipe spiced pecans for decoration

Butter and flour three 9x2 inch cake pans and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together in a large bowl. Add the grated carrots, and mix to coat them in the flour. Add in the chopped pecans.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yogurt, oil, sugar, and eggs. Beat on medium speed until combined and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Be careful not to over-mix. Divide the batter between the three cake pans. Bake the cakes at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and cool them on a wire rack completely, about 40 minutes, before frosting.

Act III: Cream Cheese Frosting

   1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened 0.5 cup butter, room temperature
0.25 tsp salt
   1 tsp vanilla
   4 cups confectioner's sugar
 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, cream cheese, and salt for 3 to 5 minutes, until thoroughly combined, light, and fluffy. Add two cups of the confectioner's sugar along with the vanilla and beat to combine. Finally, add the remaining two cups of confectioner's sugar and beat until smooth. If the frosting is a little loose, you may need to add as much as 0.5 cups more of confectioner's sugar, but 4 cups usually gets it to a spreadable consistency.

To frost the cake, place a small amount of frosting on a cake plate or in the middle of a cake carrier. This will help keep the bottom layer from moving too much. Invert one layer of carrot cake and center it on the plate or carrier. Spread about 1 cup of frosting over this layer, spreading almost to the edge and ensuring that the layer is even. Top with the second layer, inverted to have a flatter surface to work with. Spread with 1 cup of frosting. Top with the final layer.

Frost the top and sides of the cake. For a smoother look, clean off your offset spatula, place under hot running water, wipe off, and run it lightly over the frosted cake. The residual heat will smooth the frosting. Decorate with the spiced pecans.

Notes:

• Ginger and cardamom combine well with cinnamon to give this cake a light, yet warm, spicyness. Being mildly exotic, cardamom adds an, "ooh this is tasty but I can't quite tell what this flavor is," quality to the cake. For a more straightforward approach to carrot cake, simply omit them and you will still be left with a very tasty cake.
• The carrots I used this most recent time were incredibly large, organic carrots. It took only 3 to make three cups.

Up Next Week:

• Cinnamon Cupcakes with Biscoff frosting