Wednesday 21 March 2018

Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes

The final piece of the wedding cupcake jigsaw. I had to have a chocolate option, however I struggled to come up with a "classic" cake to base it on. Chocolate tends to be iconic in it's own right, rather than part of another concept (it's all very high brow). Notably, there are no "british" chocolate cakes, it does seem America own chocolate cake recipes.

So, after some deliberation, I decided to try a "brownie" cupcake instead. Everyone knows what to expect with a brownie...basically a gooey mess! This may ned some more trial, as I do need it to be slightly cake-like, and as it's being iced, it will be very rich. The main change to a normal brownie is the use of a raising agent (self-raising flour).

The core recipe is a simple brownie mix...nothing overly rich, as (again) it will be iced.At the same time, I wanted it to be un-ashamedly chocolate...one benefit of offering a selection of cakes it that I don't have to compromise on any particular one to accomodate people. The icing is again loaded with chocolate, and I've finished it off by drizzling a little white chocolate over the top.

Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes - Recipe

  • Pre-heat oven to 160'C

Cake Ingredients

  • 120g dark (50%) chocolate
  • 120g butter
  • 150g soft dark brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 80g self-raising flour
1) Place the butter and chocolate in a large saucepan

2) melt over a low heat while stirring, until smooth and combined

3) Add the sugar and whisk in until smooth and combined

4) Add in the eggs, and whisk until fully combined (mixture should be glossy)

5) Remove from the heat, and fold in the flour with a spatula

6) Transfer to a large heatproof jug (this makes filling the cake cases easier)

7) Pour 45-50g of mixture into each of 12 muffin cases, in a 12-hole muffin tin

8) Bake in the oven for 15 minutes (this may need some trial to get the right gooey mixture inside)
Note - initial testing indicates that 15 minutes it a bit too long, and it's more "cake" than "brownie". Next time I'll try 10 minutes, and go from there...

9) Remove from the oven, but leave in the tin for 10 minutes

10) Remove to a wire rack to cool completely

Chocolate Frosting Ingredients

  • 150g dark (50%) chocolate
  • 150g room-temperature butter
  • 150g icing sugar
1) Place the chocolate in a small bowl

2) Melt the chocolate in a microwave (10 second bursts and stir)

3) Leave to cool slightly (but remain liquid...you don't want it melting butter)

4) Put the butter and sugar in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment

5) Beat the sugar and butter thoroughly until very light and smooth

6) using a spatula, fold in the cooled white chocolate

7) Trasfer to a piping bag with a semi-closed star nozzle

8) Pipe a generous swirl onto each cooled cake

9) (optional) drizzle a little melted white chocolate on top, or grate some white chocolate on top.