I promised a friend some yummy cupcakes and chocolate ones are her favourite!!! I have made several versions of chocolate cupcakes in the past and I found the cupcakes from this recipe to be incredibly rich and moist, yet fluffy (just how I like them!). In comparison to other recipes, this one actually demanded very good quality chocolate and many more ingredients, but I think it paid off well. :)
It took me quite a while to decide what frosting/decorations to go with it and I finally settled at the idea of a 'Jaffa' cupcake i.e. chocolate + orange combo; something I haven't done before. I was very worried the frosting & candied orange will overpower the chocolate but I felt the candied orange actually pulled the flavours together beautifully. Texturally it was great as there were 3 different layers. Big success for me! Try it out and let me know what you think *heehee*.
Chocolate Mud Cupcakes recipe (Adapted from Crabapple Bakery Cupcake Cookbook)
makes 24 regular cupcakes. bake at 160 degrees celcius for 22-25 minutes.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp Instant coffee granules (Add more if you want a stronger coffee taste)
3/4C Hot water
250g Butter
300g Good quality dark cooking chocolate, chopped (i used Callebaut's 60% Dark choc)
4 Eggs
1/3C Vegetable Oil
1/2C Buttermilk
2C Plain flour
1/4tsp Salt
1&1/2tsp Baking Powder
1/2tsp Bicarbonate Soda
2C Castor Sugar
1/2C Cocoa
method:
1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees celcius. Prepare cupcake trays with cupcake paper.
2. Dissolve coffee in hot water. Put butter, chocolate & dissolved coffee into a metal bowl and place over a large saucepan of simmering water. Stir until chocolate has melted. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. [Chocolate Mixture]
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, vegetable oil and buttermilk until combined [Egg Mixture]
4. In another bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder, bicarbonate soda, castor sugar & cocoa and mix well until combined. [Flour Mixture]
5. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture. Mix well until combined.
6. Add in the cooled chocolate mixture and mix in carefully until well combined.
7. Spoon mixture into cupcake cases, filling to just over half full!!!
8. Bake for 22-25 minutes until fine skewer comes out clean.
9. Remove cupcakes from trays and cool completely before frosting.
Orange Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients:
3 tbsp Butter
1/2tsp Vanilla extract
3C Sifted Icing sugar
Juice of half a big orange (I used navel oranges)
Zest of half an orange
Method:
1. Cream butter and vanilla extract
2. Add in 1C of sifted icing sugar
3. Add in 2tbsp of orange juice
Note: keep alternating between steps 2. and 3. until you achieve a desired consistency, mixing well in between. Add more icing sugar if it is too runny, or add more orange juice if it is too sweet/thick.
4. Mix in the zest when the mixture is ready.
Candied Orange Slices
Ingredients:
Remaining half of the large orange, cut into 1/4 inch thick longitudinal slices
1C Sugar
3C Water
Methods:
1. Put 1.5C water and 1/2C sugar in a wide-based saucepan and dissolve the sugar on medium heat
2. As the water starts to simmer, lower the orange slices into the pan and place them flat on the pan
3. Simmer on medium-high heat for 10 minutes, turning them once or twice
4. Lower the heat down to medium-low heat for 30 minutes, turning them once or twice
5. Meanwhile, prepare another sugar mixture by dissolving 1/2C sugar in 1.5C water on medium heat. Add this sugar mixture to the orange slices if the syrup starts to run out.
6. When it is ready, the orange slices should still be intact but translucent, and has a nice coating of thick syrup
7. Turn off the fire and leave there for 10 minutes
8. Transfer onto baking paper carefully and leave until cooled completely before use
Assembling:
1. Pipe the orange frosting onto the cupcake (i used a big round tip)
2. Top the frosting with the candied oranges anyway you like!!!
Have fun :)
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