Double chocolate strawberry truffle baby cupcakes

I haven't baked in a while. Last weekend was Melbourne cup weekend, so we had four days off. We had a great day on Derby day, and a lazy Sunday. By Monday I was ready to bake! I wasn't really sure when I started making these how they would turn out, but I had truffle cupcakes in mind and was determined to give it a go. And... everyone likes strawberries dipped in chocolate, right?

I made the chocolate ganache and the strawberry curd a day before making the cupcakes to ensure they had firmed up enough to use.

Makes 24 mini cupcakes

Ingredients:

Truffle centre
Strawberry curd filling (adapted from Baking Bites)
200 grams strawberries, pureed
1/2 cup white sugar
5 tbs cornstarch
4 tbs thicken cream
1/4-1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted. Amount depends on how sweet your strawberries are.

Chocolate truffle filling (Adapted from Simply Recipes)
150g good quality dark chocolate chopped into small pieces
1/3 cup of thickened cream
3/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Cupcakes
Half this chocolate cupcake recipe

Method:

Strawberry curd filling
Combine strawberries and sugar in a food processor and blend until very smooth. Add cornstarch and blend again. Strain into a medium saucepan. Over medium heat, cook until it just comes to boil - this shouldn't take long. Stir continuously and cook for about a minute, until the mixture thickens slightly (If it covers the back of a wooden spoon, this is the thickness you want). Pour into a heat proof container and cover the top of it with cling wrap. By having the cling wrap in contact with the curd it will prevent a skin from forming. Leave to cool and thicken.

Chocolate truffle filling

Put cream in a microwave safe bowl and put it in the microwave on medium for one minute. Stir, then return to microwave for another 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and add chocolate, stirring regularly until chocolate is melted and incorporated. Stir it regularly - it should start to look lovely and smooth. Pop in the fridge to cool.

Once both the strawberry curd and chocolate mixture have cooled and thickened, line a plastic container with baking paper and pour the ganache into a smooth layer. Top with the strawberry curd and pop back in the fridge over night.

Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 176 degrees C. Spray 24 mini silicon cupcake moulds and place on a baking tray.

Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add eggs, milk, vanilla and oil. Beat ingredients with a mixer for approx two minutes. Occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. Add the boiling water, and beat until just blended. Don't over-mix. Make sure you pour the mixture into the liners when they are on the tray that you are using to put them in the oven - due to the boiling water, the mixture is very runny!Bake for 10-15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cupcakes comes out clean. Mine took about 12 minutes. Leave in the moulds to cool for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

To assemble the cupcakes:

15 minutes prior to filling the cupcakes, remove the truffle filling from the fridge.

Use this method to hollow out the top of the cupcake and fill with the truffle filling. You will need approx one teaspoon per cupcake.

Chocolate caramel cupcakes

Chocolate anything is always popular, and I love caramel!
Makes 24
Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 3/4 cup plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup rice bran oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 cup boiling water

Caramel (for filling and drizzling)
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/8 cup milk
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate icing
1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
4 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 1/2 cup cocoa, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

12 tbs milk

Method:
Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 176 degrees C. Spray and line pans with 24 cupcake liners.

Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add eggs, milk, vanilla and oil. Beat ingredients with a mixer for approx two minutes. Occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. Add the boiling water, and beat until just blended. Don't over-mix.
Due to the boiling water, the batter is very runny. The easiest way to fill the cupcake pans is by pouring the batter into the pans using a jug. Pour evenly into prepared liners.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cupcakes comes out clean. Mine took about 22 minutes. Leave in the pan to cool for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool further.


Caramel sauce
Over medium heat, melt butter in a small sauce pan. Allow to simmer, then add in the brown sugar, stirring, and bring to boil. Then lower heat and stir until sugar is dissolved (should take about a minute). Stir in milk, bring to boil, then remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Pop in the fridge to cool down and thicken while you make the chocolate icing.

Click here  for instructions on how to fill the cupcakes


Chocolate icing
Beat the butter in a mixing bowl for three minutes, add vanilla bean paste and beat. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add milk a tbs or two at a time and beat, until you reach your desired consistency.

Pipe icing onto cupcakes and drizzle with caramel sauce to finish.

Chocolate cupcakes for Easter - four ways

I wanted to make cupcakes to take when we went to our friends place for dinner. Being Easter, we have A LOT of Easter eggs at home at the moment, so I thought I would incorporate some of them to use them up. I love chocolate, so the less temptation around me, the better!


Makes 24
Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 3/4 cup plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup rice bran oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Method:

Preheat oven to 176 degrees C. Spray and line pans with 24 cupcake liners.

Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.  Add eggs, milk, vanilla and oil.  Beat ingredients with a mixer for approx two minutes. Occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.  Add the boiling water, and beat until just blended. Don't over-mix.  

I must admit I was really worried after adding the boiling water - the batter looked more like watery hot chocolate than anything else. 

If you are using silicon cupcake pans like me, make sure you put them on oven trays that they are going to sit on when you put them in the oven to bake. This is important because the pans are very flexible and the batter is so liquidy - if you filled the pans and then tried to move them without being on a stable surface, the pans won't be able to support the contents and the batter will just spill everywhere.

Because the batter is so thin, the easiest way to fill the cupcake pans is by pouring the batter in (e.g using a jug).

Easter cupcake filling - four ways

1. "Top deck" chocolate cupcakes
Crush up Cadbury top deck mini easter eggs and sprinkle 1/2 an egg to each cupcake batter


2. "Crunchy" chocolate cupcakes
Crush up Cadbury crunchy hollow "hunting eggs" and sprinkle 1/4 to 1/3 of an egg to each cupcake batter


3. "Caramello" chocolate cupcakes
Add one Cadbury caramello mini easter egg to each cupcake batter 


4. Chocolate cupcakes
Just add batter to pan

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the center of the cupcakes springs back when lightly touched.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto wire rack.

Icing
Nutella icing (for the "top deck" cupcakes)
Click here for the recipe


Chocolate buttercream icing
I used buttercream icing for the other cupcake types.



125g butter (at room temperature)
1/4 cup cocoa
2 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 tbs milk

Place butter in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric beater to beat for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Add the icing sugar and cocoa gradually, and beat until the mixture is fluffy.  Add the milk one tablespoon at a time and beat until you are happy with the consistency.

To decorate
1. "Top deck" chocolate cupcakes
Pipe nutella icing onto them, starting at the edge and ending up in the centre in a continuous motion.

2. "Crunchy" chocolate cupcakes

Spread a thin layer of buttercream icing on the cupcake using a knife.

Using a small tip, pipe buttercream icing around the edge of the cupcake so it resembles a birds nest. Place crushed up crunchy egg pieces in the centre.

3. "Caramello" chocolate cupcakes

Spread a thin layer of buttercream icing on the cupcake using a knife.
Using a small tip, pipe buttercream icing around the edge of the cupcake so it resembles a birds nest.
Cut a caremello mini egg in half and place in the centre of the nest.

4. Chocolate cupcakes
Spread a thin layer of buttercream icing on the cupcake using a knife.
Add part of a crushed up hollow easter add on top, using the icing to help stick it down. Add a little icing to the centre of the broken egg and add a mini easter egg to the centre.

By the way, we had a great pumpkin risotto for dinner (and too much to drink!) - thanks Katie and Colin for a great night!

Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream icing

I love baking. I actually think it is addictive. The more I bake, the more I want to bake.
I made these chocolate cupcakes recently...they were super easy to make and apparently they turned out ok! 


Makes 12


Ingredients:
Cupcakes

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 and 1/4 tsp vanilla

Buttercream icing

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk

Method:

Preheat oven to 176 degrees C. Grease and line a 12 capacity cupcake pan.

Measure all ingredients (minus the eggs) into a large mixing bowl. Mix on a low speed until just incorporated before beating on high for 1 -2 minutes. Add egg, then beat on high again for 2 minutes.

Measure out mixture into prepared pan, and bake for 15-20 minutes, and when you insert a toothpick it comes out clean.


Allow to cool slightly in the pan, before transferring the cupcakes to a wire rack for further cooling.


To make the icing, beat the butter on high for approx 30 seconds, to soften. Add cocoa and a quarter of the sugar, and beat until combined. Add one tablespoon of milk and the remainder of the sugar. Beat until incorporated. Finally, continue to add milk until to achieve your desired consistency.  For this batch, I made the icing pretty thick!


These cupcakes store pretty well - they are still good a couple of days after baking.

Shoeboxgirl