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Sep 29, 2010

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Really Good Frosting





This is a dedication post for a special girl on her special day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOE!, from across the miles. This one’s for you. Hope you like the cute cupcakes. I definitely won’t win any prizes for icing a cake tho. But it’s made with love, so what if it’s lopsided ;). So sad you can’t be here to share it and I don’t think they’ll last til you come over. Sigh, I’ll just have to eat them then.

I came across 2 of the most interesting and delicious sounding recipes and had to try them out and what best way to do so than to incorporate both into one recipe.
I personally am not a cake person but definitely a sucker for dark chocolate. I'd eat cooking chocolate too, if nobody's looking ... shhh. Also not into icing and frosting for various reasons ... the cloying richness and the humidity here doesn't make one a happy baker when your buttercream frosting seems to have a mind of its own and decides it wants to be gravy instead. So when this frosting recipe popped up, I thought I'd give it another go.
Another amazing, away from the old school norm, recipe. Holds together beautifully. Tastes good too.






INGREDIENTS (CUPCAKES)



8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

½ cup (1.5 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

¾ cup (3.75 ounces) all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

¾ cup (5.25 ounces) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon table salt

½ cup (4 ounces) sour cream

METHOD

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 180˚C. Line muffin pan with baking cup liners.

2. Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water; heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and combined. Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.

3. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.

4. Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift about one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined, then sift remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogeneous and thick.

5. Divide the batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.

6. Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool before icing.





INGREDIENTS (FROSTING)


5 Tablespoons Flour
1 cup Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup Butter
1 cup Granulated Sugar (not Powdered Sugar!)


METHOD

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. Stir in vanilla.
While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then add the cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat until it all combines and resembles whipped cream.

Spread or pipe onto cooled cake, or in this case, cupcakes.

Leftover frosting can be refrigerated but needs to be re-whipped before use.






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17 comments:

  1. ♥ ♥ ♥ Could I ask for anything more from my fav aunty ever?! Nope.

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  2. If this is the first one you had mentioned on my blog it looks AMAZING! Great work - excellent pictures, especially the whisk with the frosting on it.

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  3. Oh wow, thanks for the compliments, Kita. I gotta work on the piping bit tho.:)

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  4. Really good shot on that frosting!
    I use to make choc cup cakes which my boy fav. But seldom take the effort in making frosting as once frosting you can't keep long. :-(

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  5. Hi Yin,
    Thanks, I like that pic too :)
    I know what you mean about frosting not keeping. This is also a small enough portion to finish quickly.

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  6. I have just book marked this recipe for your vanilla frosting. I LOVE frosting... like, eat it with a spoon Love. It's a terrible thing, I know.

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  7. Housewife Diary: Gosh, you really have a sweet tooth ... teeth even. Thanks for the visit and Happy New Year!

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  8. Ping, I was actually looking for a frosting to replace my (typically-failing) cream cheese one, and you came up in the search!

    The recipe sounds interesting - it doesn't taste of flour when done? How long should I cook the milk/flour? To what consistency - yogurt, sour cream, plaster? Tell! I have a sick boyfriend curled up on the sofa, I am making a cake tomorrow and I need to know! :D

    Me!

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    Replies
    1. Hey you. This one's a keeper. No, it doesn't taste of flour at all if you flavor it. The milk and flour mix should come to a roux type consistency ... so, hat would that be in your terms? ... a bit of yogurt, a bit of sour cream and a bit of plaster? :D
      Just so there's no panic, there will be a point where you'll think the cream isn't going to come together but you just have to keep on beating and it will. This takes some whipping, so I'd suggest you warm up that arm properly or use an electric mixer. You can also probably get a better explanation from Pioneer Woman where I found it. The link is just below the title of this post. Enjoy! And let me know if it works for you.
      PS: looks like you have quite a persistent little bug at your place.

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    2. Oh, sorry, I think she found it here: http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2010/03/a-tasty-recipe-thats-the-best-frosting-ive-ever-had/

      It's a step by step so you get to see the consistency too.

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    3. (Eeek. What happened to the words?)

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  9. Sometimes, sometimes the computers eat them. Just for fun!

    And, thanks for the links, the pictures really do help a lot to see the consistency. It should be... that of gloop. Thick gloop. Yes, that is a terribly technical term obviously but really that is what that is.

    And the person really does rave about it too, so now I will try this rather than the plain buttercream. Or do one of each and compare? Hmm!

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  10. Hi Ping,

    Can I cream the cake using this frosting for overnight? Do I have to store in the airtight container? Thank you

    LL

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    Replies
    1. Store it in the fridge. Leftover frosting has to be re-whipped before spreading on cake.

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  11. Hi Ping,

    Thank you for your reply. Will the frosting on my cake turn hard if I left it in the fridge overnight? Do I have to thaw it first before serving?

    LL

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    Replies
    1. It will be firm but not rock solid .. just like regular frosting. Yes, do thaw out for a couple of minutes. Personally, I would prefer to frost the cake just prior to consuming. You might want to check out Pioneer Woman's website for more details. I'm only speaking from my own experience.

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